Every Child is Worth Fighting for, Every Childhood is Precious!

Sarasota—This April, Selah Freedom, Florida’s largest anti-sex trafficking organization, is geared up in their ongoing efforts to raise awareness that child abuse and sex trafficking are linked. Based in Sarasota, Florida, Selah Freedom recognizes that nearly all “survivors” in the agencies anti-sex trafficking programs have been victims of child abuse. For eleven years, they have built a solid foundation to bring freedom to survivors of the sex trade through five life-saving programs: Awareness, Prevention, Outreach, Residential and Organizational Consulting. They work closely with law enforcement, the court system, school districts and community groups. Selah Freedom's Executive Director, Stacey Efaw stated, "The challenge remains to educate the general public that those with prior childhood sex abuse are most at risk of being recruited into sex trafficking."

You may remember a few weeks ago in mid March when 108 persons in Polk County, including a retired judge and four employees of Walt Disney World were arrested during a six-day undercover human trafficking sting operation. The sad truth is sex-trafficking is happening in our communities and sometimes in our own neighborhoods.

April is the month when Americans observe National Child Abuse Prevention. This is a chance for state and local organizations to validate their commitment to communities working together to prevent child maltreatment before it occurs and provide support to those in need through valuable resources. “Human trafficking respects no borders or boundaries. There is no link between survivors of trafficking and a specific place, age, race, or economic/social status,” says Stacey Efaw, Executive Director of Selah Freedom. “There is this myth we tell ourselves that sex trafficking is just an international issue. Trafficking within American borders by Americans is a pandemic, and a history of sexual abuse is one of the factors that could put someone at risk of being lured into one of these dangerous relationships.”

Efaw says sexually abused American children are being “groomed” into a potential life of sex trafficking. When any abuse or trauma goes unaddressed, it creates vulnerabilities, especially when it comes to sexual abuse. The guilt, shame, and confusion created can be easily exploited by traffickers and those with ill intent. “The connection between a history of sexual abuse and sex trafficking becomes clearer when you understand the grooming process.”

What is grooming?

Grooming is simple yet effective. First, a trafficker identifies or creates a need the potential victim has, such as the need to be accepted, wanted, loved (especially by a father figure), have stability, protection, escape reality, and more. Then, the trafficker isolates the victim until the trafficker is the only person who can fill the victim’s needs.

The trafficker exploits this dependence. As a result, someone already vulnerable because of untreated trauma from past experiences is victimized again.

The emotional and psychological vulnerabilities of unaddressed childhood sexual abuse can create a dangerous situation. Traffickers can identify a vulnerability from miles away, terming them “masters of psychology.” Each trafficker has a different recruitment method to deploy in correlation to a vulnerability. Traffickers have a plan of manipulation to exploit any need they encounter because it is their full-time job and where all their time and attention goes.

What is the solution?

Issues as complex as human trafficking have no easy solution. Still, Florida is paving the way to eradicate sex trafficking in radical ways: Two years ago, the state legislature passed a law (CB HB 519) mandating the provision of comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, and age-appropriate K-12 health education curriculum that focuses on the prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking; Selah Freedom is working with researchers at the University of South Florida in a first-ever, court diversion program for survivors of human trafficking and exploitation to help them turn their lives around by offering housing, job training, counseling and other services. The researchers’ work could become a model for similar programs around the country.

Finally, at this writing - a milestone for Florida’s fight against human trafficking - as Florida legislation has passed the Bill (HB 1439 ) that prohibits public lodging establishment from offering hourly rate for accommodation; increases criminal penalties for soliciting or procuring another person to commit prostitution or purchasing services of person engaged in prostitution; provides for additional court-ordered requirements, minimum mandatory period of incarceration, & civil penalty; provides that human trafficking victim expunction of criminal history records does not apply to specified offenses; removes requirement for specific evidentiary standard when determining human trafficking victim status in absence of official documentation, and creates a Statewide Data Repository for Anonymous Human Trafficking.

Selah Freedom’s Prevention Team offers monthly virtual training opportunities, among other initiatives, to elevate public awareness. This month is “Freedom for Teens,” a video-based training for those who want to expand their understanding of sex trafficking, exploitation, recruitment and more on Thursday, April 21. Sign up today, here!

Stay updated with Selah Freedom’s latest training dates, success stories and more by following them on social media.

Follow them on Instagram @SelahFreedom

Twitter @Selah_Freedom

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Anyone who suspects signs of sex trafficking and victims in need of help can contact Selah Freedom at 1-888-8-FREE-ME (888-837-3363)

Media Contact: Andrea Martone, Andrea@SelahFreedom.com, (917)-929-0527.