Over the past couple months I have been so blessed as I have been welcomed in helping with an organization called The Covering House. This is a developing home designed as a safe haven for girls under the age of 18 who are victims of sex trafficking and exploitation. In the short time I have been here, I have learned so much about the evils and prevalence of this trade, and among the most disturbing is the void of knowledge about its existence in our country. But the fact of the matter is that we have been tricked by the façade that human trafficking isn't a real problem here and all the while, something very dark has been silently growing in our own backyards.
I know it is difficult, disturbing, & heartbreaking to think about but I ask that you take a couple minutes to read some things I have learned & view the documentary trailers I have attached below.
Human trafficking is a $32 billion industry globally. (United Nations)
Human trafficking generates an estimated $9.5 billion in annual revenue in the United States.(Federal Bureau of Investigation)
There are estimated to be 300,000 (growing daily) child prostitutes in the U.S. (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
The average age of entry into prostitution is THIRTEEN YEARS OLD. (U.S. Department of Justice)
The average victim may be forced to have sex up to 20 TIMES A DAY. (The A21 Campaign)
Right now, there are fewer than 100 beds available in the U.S. for these victims once rescued.(Federal Bureau of Investigation)
So you can see there is a huge evil at work here, and those random facts are just the tip of the iceberg. The horrors and tortures these children endure are sickening and unimaginable; a far cry from the childhood I would imagine many of us experienced. A childhood where, instead of dressing up for your first dance, you get to dress up in whatever your pimp decides you should wear as you are sent to have sex with yet another stranger for money that you do not get to keep, but with which your pimp fattens his wallet and may or may not decide to use for a little food to keep you alive in a life you do not get to live. A life in which, even if you should be rescued, you will most likely be placed in a juvenile system since there are only 100 beds available in our country to accommodate the rescue of 300,000 child prostitutes.
The Covering House needs awareness and support so that we can purchase a home to add to that number and begin rebuilding the lives of these young girls. I urge you so strongly to spread the awareness of this awful inhumanity that is growing more each day. It is intolerable.
Trailer of the documentary "Very Young Girls" based on NYC organization GEMS founded by Rachel Lloyd in 1998. The full documentary is also available on Netflix.
Trailer of the documentary "The Playground" produced by George Clooney and directed by Libby Spears as an effort to bring awareness
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