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Child
When Human Trafficking Hits Home
Founder & Chairman, Lost Angels Foundation of Hope, Kelly Hendon
Kelly Hendon is a Valley resident and an active philanthropist and the Founder of Lost Angels Foundation of Hope, which is charged with the mission to raise awareness about human trafficking and additionally provides victims with scholarships for adequate treatment and rehabilitation.
A It Only Takes One
The Ugly Truth
A year ago, the terms “child human trafficking,” “sex slaves,” and “trafficking victims” were far from my vocabulary and mind. Although horrific, I thought human trafficking was an issue that happened primarily overseas and not something that commonly occurred here in the United States. I was wrong on all accords. Facts like, “300,000 children in the U.S. are at risk every year for commercial sexual exploitation,”(U.S. Department of Justice) was abhorring for me to learn. I uncovered facts like this after someone who was very close to me was lured into child human trafficking. Her story, like many, began when a pimp posed as a model scout on the Internet and she was later dragged through the hellish world of child human trafficking. This is truly modern-day slavery. It was then that “human trafficking” had a name, a face, and happened to someone I deeply cared about. The following quote from Christine Caine, a prominent leader in abolishing human trafficking, struck me, “…as long as there is one victim of human trafficking, that’s all the motivation we need.” That was all the motivation I needed.
After getting well acquainted with various “Google” searches for “human trafficking,” and in between nausea spells, I learned the ugly truth about this industry, uncovering facts like the following: • The average age of children are coerced into sexual slavery in Phoenix is just 13 years-old. [National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children] • The FBI estimates that there’s an excess of 100,000 American girls who are involved in some form of the sex slave trafficking to date. • Human beings are the second most lucrative commodities, next to drugs. [CNN ] • Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes. [CNN] Human trafficking is one of the most lucrative businesses in the world and thrives on taking advantage of the young and vulnerable members of society. Victims are often beaten, brutalized, and tortured. Statistics point to the cyclical fact that the severe psychological, emotional and social abuse that victims endure, often times leave them returning back to the sex trade. Threats are key in this industry – not only abusive threats to the victims themselves, but threats upon the victims’ family. A lot of times, all the victims have to hope and dream for is keeping their families safe and they will often stay in their trafficking situation to protect their family.
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M Who Fits the Profile?
Major news media outlets like Larry King Live, CNN report that human trafficking amongst children does not occur in just the poor areas of US cities; it’s even happening in the most affluent neighborhoods. Victims are often being preyed upon in common places, like the local mall. Very often, pimps will target children who look vulnerable and fit their profile. What’s their profile? According to Larry King Live, CNN, they look for a young girl whom they think looks vulnerable and they send an appealing young adult to “sweet talk” them. It’s very comparable to an organized gang crime. They recruit the child, get them involved with their "new friend.” Then, the child’s harsh reality begins and they are being sold for sex.
Make sure your children know the facts about human trafficking.
Sgt. Chris Bray works in the Vice Enforcement Unit for the Phoenix Police Department, which is partially tasked with investigating commercial sex issues here in Phoenix. Sgt. Chris Bray shared with me some valuable insights about human trafficking predators, mentioning that, “Human trafficking predators come in all shapes, sizes, and races. Don’t expect ‘stranger danger’ to look like what you think he/she should look like. It’s self-defeating and selflimiting when you try to narrow down the predators to fit a certain profile,” said Sgt. Chris Bray. The Polaris Project, a leading U.S. organization that helps combat all forms of human trafficking, further points out the fact that there is not one consistent face of a trafficker. Traffickers include a wide range of criminal operators, including individual pimps, small families or businesses, and loose-knit decentralized criminal networks. The scary truth is any young teen can be preyed upon, sought out, and targeted for human trafficking.
Talk to Your Kids Make sure your children know the facts about human trafficking. Educate yourself, your family, and your friends on the issue. Awareness is the first step to prevention. Sgt. Chris Bray recommends, “…that kids should immediately be suspicious if someone approaches them – a good rule of thumb is if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.” “Parents – plain and simple – be more aware and connected with what your kids are doing,” added Sgt. Chris Bray. If you’re suspicious of someone being a victim of human trafficking, here are the major signs to lookout for: • Highly controlled or restricted schedule, money or communications • Unidentifiable source of income • Unexplained absences • Unexplained source of new clothing and personal items • Bruises or other physical signs of abuse • A tattoo that the young person is reluctant to explain (for instance, being “branded” with an exploiter’s name on the neck, chest or arms), burns
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• Isolation from family, friends or other social networks • Secrecy or vagueness about whereabouts • Gaps in life story or defensiveness in response to questions or concerns • Paranoia or lack of trust • Self-blame or feelings of humiliation or shame • Disassociation or lack of connection to the outside world
My Big “Ah Ha” Moment After hours upon hours of research, educating myself and reading books such as, Renting Lacy: A Story Of America's Prostituted Children (A Call to Action) by Linda Smith, my thoughts went something like this: “How have I not heard about this issue?” “Why is this NOT being commonly talked about?” “I NEED to do something, and I need to start in my community!” This is where Lost Angels Foundation of Hope came into existence. I started Lost Angels Foundation of Hope in 2010 to raise awareness about human trafficking. I firmly believe that AWARENESS IS THE BEGINNNING OF GREAT CHANGE. Secondly, Lost Angels provides victims with scholarships for the proper treatment needed through the restoration process. My heart breaks for the young victims, and I want to help them regain their self-esteem and purpose for living and help them have a better chance at living a healthy, dignified life. Lost Angels is strategically partnered with Teentrak, www.teentrak.org, which is a Phoenix-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide parents of missingtroubled teens investigative assistance, relevant resources, and is charged with the goal to reunite and strengthen families. Teentrak aids in the prevention of runaways, abductions and exposure to the sex slave trade through community awareness and intervention. Lost Angels also has aligned itself with Valley-based champions, Peggy Bilsten and Deb Carstens, both fighting for awareness of human trafficking. Bilsten is author of the book, The Hope Connection, which is a resource directory aimed to assist those committed to eradication of the commercial sexual exploitation of children and sex trafficking. Carstens is on the Board of nonprofit organization, Innocents At Risk, which was founded to fight child exploitation and human trafficking. Both Carstens and Bilsten are strong advocates lobbying in Washington D.C. for the awareness, prevention and the rights of human trafficking victims. ■
How to Help
More information about Lost Angels Foundation of Hope, 501(c)(3), can be found by visiting Facebook at www.facebook.com/lostangelsfoundationofhope or www.lostangelsusa.com. In addition, Lite n Glossy, a lip gloss line, donates a portion of its proceeds to benefit Lost Angels Foundation of Hope. More information about Lite n Glossy lip therapy can be found here, www.litenglossy.com. If you’re suspicious of someone you know being trafficked, aside from calling 911, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Human Trafficking Resource Center has a toll-free number to report such instances at 1-888-3737-888.