Overview: Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. It is a crime that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to recruit, harbor, transport, provide or obtain a person for the purposes of sexual or labor exploitation. After drug dealing, trafficking humans is the second largest criminal industry in the world, and is the fastest growing. Human trafficking victims are not just adults, but also children and are most often trafficked for sex. The thought of children being sold for sex on a nightly basis is deeply disturbing, but all too real.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations estimates that over 100,000 Human Trafficking victims are children. The San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas are all rated as areas of “high intensity child prostitution” in the country. These human trafficking child victims are now defined by the legislature as Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) and the country has been tasked with the mission to no longer treat these children as criminal’s (ie. “prostitutes” and put them in Juvenile Hall), but as victims and to provide them with services to assist in their rescue and rehabilitation and return them safely back to their families.
Objective: When a social worker first makes contact with a female victim, she is often in the clothes she was put in by her trafficker. She has also been convinced by her trafficker that she is the one making the choice to have sex for money and she no longer sees herself as a child and does not believe she is a victim. When a social worker can provide her with comfortable clothes and shoes as well as other personal belongings, it helps her mind transition back to being a child. Social workers actively look for the child’s parents, but sometimes reuniting her with her family can take many days, as often the family is outside of Orange County or even outside California. To be able to provide the child with clothing, personal hygiene items and something comforting like a stuffed animal or journal, gives her something of her own and lets her know that she is cared about. So, Kristi’s Hope asked for the following donations from the community:
Duffel Bags
Teddy Bears
Adult Coloring Books
Colored Pencils
Journals
Pens
Tampons/Pads
New Flip Flops
New Sweat Pants
New Tshirts
Results: Thanks to the generous community, several people volunteered to fill the donated bags and children made beautiful uplifting cards. Kristi’s Hope also had the opportunity to speak at a church in Huntington Beach bringing awareness and support to the sexually exploited children/victims of human trafficking right here in Orange County. A volunteer with Orange County Social Services agreed to speak in more detail about statistics and facts. We heard from a few other organizations as well, including a victim herself who has overcome her past and created a wonderful and successful life. Thank you so much for supporting my foundation and for the 30 duffel bag donations.
For more pictures, please visit our album: https://www.facebook.com/Kristis-Ho...
