No neighborhood is immune to child sex trafficking. True, it happens more prevalently in areas of economic distress, but more and more, children as young as 13, or ten, or even eight, are being coerced into being raped for profit within the more affluent communities. It is happening in places like Desert Ridge Mall in North Phoenix, not far from Scottsdale, Arizona.
Most people will acknowledge that the poor, overcrowded and faraway locales such as Cambodia or India or China may be trafficking places. It is harder to recognize how frequently it happens in the United States. Even harder to understand is how close to your own backyard might one find children who are enslaved in the most devious form of exploitation. Besides being decieved into a relationship with a pimp, these youngsters are beaten, emotionally demeaned, violated in every possible way, and controlled in every area of life. They may be denied food and basic comforts while forced to service 10-20 men per night, every night, to bring in their minimum quota demanded by the pimp.
Expected life span in "the life" of a sex slave is about seven years. For those who survive and get out, they may phyiscally live many more years, but they have been ripped apart to the core of their beings, and the effects will last the duration of their time on earth.
Child sex trafficking is a serious issue, and we need to be aware of what is happening under our noses. Here is one opportunity to find out more.
CHILD TRAFFICKING COMMUNITY FORUM
Location: Holland Community Center
34250 N. 60th Street Scottsdale, AZ 85266
Who is invited: All parents, teens, community members, anti-trafficking activists
Who is speaking: Presented by Sgt. Chris Bray & Sgt. Clay Sutherlin, Phoenix PD Vice Enforcement Unit
and Streetlight Phoenix, a local residential treatment center and safehouse for girls brought out of sex slavery
- Report from local law enforcement says that this is happening as close as Desert Ridge Shopping Center
- 90% of children trafficked for sexual purposes are U.S. citizens!
- 80% of victims are female and 50% are children!
- The average age of entry into forced prostitution in the U.S. is 13 years
- Between 100,000 and 300,000 children in America are at risk for sex trafficking every year!
For additional information, contact Gina Durbin at 480-575-2026 Forum is sponsored by Foothills Caring Communities, Soroptimist International of Saguaro Foothills and CCUSD.
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(c) 2011 Holly Craw. All rights reserved. You may link to this article or take an excerpt with due attribution to the author and a link back to this original article. Mention your link below to get a shoutout.
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