When police apprehended a man who paid for sex with a minor, the teenager thought she would be rescued. Instead, the girl, who had been abducted at age 13 in Long Beach and forced into a sex trafficking ring, was arrested for teen prostitution and sent to juvenile jail. The “john” was given a misdemeanor and released.
Groans were audible as the girl’s story played on a video last Saturday during the first annual End Human Trafficking Day at Malibu United Methodist Church. While shocking, the story is unfortunately not uncommon.
“Today, we just don’t see teenage prostitution anymore,” says Michelle Guymon, the Director of Minor Sex Trafficking Project at the Los Angeles County Probation Department. “Now, we see teens that are victims of human sex trafficking.”
The girl, whose name is Simone, escaped from her captor and is now 18. She is one of a growing number of young girls caught up in the epidemic of human trafficking.
Approximately 60 people attended the event on Saturday, including city officials, advocacy groups, and local student activists in an effort to learn about and promote awareness of the problem of trafficking.
Human trafficking is defined as the movement of humans, usually young girls, from location to location in order to sexually exploit them. The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that in the United States, 100,000 children each year are sold for sex, some as young as 12. The FBI estimates 3,000 children are trafficked each year in Los Angeles alone.
It is a lucrative business, increasingly run by gangs who find they can make more money on trafficking than with drugs. Some young girls are abducted, many by older juvenile male gang members, while others are coerced into prostitution in order to support themselves. Isolated from supportive relationships, the girls become dependent on their captors in an atmosphere of drugs and violence.
“When we read about slavery in the textbooks at school, we tend to think of it as something that occurred in history,” says Malibu High School student Eden Ettenger.
Ettenger, along with classmates Gabriella Grahek and Ally Mastrippolito were recognized at the event for participating in many activities to combat human trafficking. Also recognized was Diane Malecha, office administrator at First United Methodist, for her efforts on the issue.
Flyers and handouts were distributed at the presentation on Saturday to dispel misconceptions about human trafficking and to help identify those who could be victims. Ordinary citizens can learn the signs about human trafficking and take action to alert authorities. Raising awareness and encouraging people to be active were the goals of the presenters.
“Many people have misconceptions that to be sex trafficked you need to be moved to another location, town or country,” said Michelle Guymon. “You can be exploited and never leave your hometown.”
That’s in large part due to a culture of silence among victims that is often difficult to break. Victims of these crimes feel isolated, hopeless and don’t know how to verbalize their trauma. Others may fear deportation, shame, not being believed, jailed or fear physical harm according to U.S. department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
Accordingly, police in the past few years now look for signs of physical abuse, force or coercion to identify potential victims of human trafficking.
Guido Hajenius, Hub Coordinator from iEmpathize, who spoke at the presentation on Saturday, urged all of us to get involved. “When we have a strong culture of support, change occurs,” says Hajenius. “Empathy is the only solution.”
Yet experts say the issue presents a unique challenge to the social service system. Dr. Lois Lee, president of Children of the Night Organization, said that while she believes 100 percent of these children are victims, she understands that many of them feel life on the street is better than what they had at home. “Many times they are not compliant victims,” explains Dr. Lee.
“These kids have been on a bus bench when they shouldn’t have been, they have been in an area of town they shouldn’t have been in, and they have been out at a time when they should not have been out.”
She says victims must be taught how to advance themselves in order to provide a legitimate alternative to their situation.
“It is not a one-size-fits-all treatment program,” said Lee.
Meanwhile, the younger people suggested that bringing light to the issue was a crucial first step.
“The best thing we could do today to abolish this sort of slavery for the next generation is to increase awareness in all schools now,” said Mastrippolito.
For more information on human trafficking visit childrenofthenight.org. They also have a 24-hour hotline at 1.800.551.1300.
