Blogger #5

Human Trafficking
http://www.lamag.com/longform/gone-girls/
Gone Girls - Mike Kessler


         The sex trafficking of minors, we've come - or maybe want - to believe, is limited to developing nations, where wretched poverty leaves girls with little options. With poverty, parentlessness and low self-esteem all being factors, there's another reason to why girls end up on "the streets". During a recent interview a young woman went on to say, "Everything my mother couldn't give me, he gave me, so I thought it was the life to live". Around nine and a half to ten out of ten girls turn out to be victims of sexual abuse at an early age. Ninety-nine percent of adult prostitutes claim they started when they too were underage and sexually abused. One of the largest and oldest places responsible for human trafficking is South Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles. From Washington Street along Figueroa down to Compton, girls in mini-skirts and high heels wandering the streets. LAPD is doing everything they possibly can to get these girls to testify, but these girls have been betrayed by their parents, caregivers etc. These girls do not trust adults. Over 88% of girls that are rescued end up falling back into the trap, many say it's all they've ever known.

Polaris Organization

https://polarisproject.org

The Polaris Organization is a non- profit, non- government organization. Founded in 2002 by Derek Ellerman and Katherine Chon, Polaris' headquarters is located in Washington D.C. The Polaris Organization is committed to ending human trafficking and slavery and focuses it's efforts in the United States. Their approach includes conducting direct outreach and victim identification, providing social services and transitional housing to victims, operating the National Human Trafficking Resource Center serving as the central national hotline on human trafficking, advocating for stronger state and anti-trafficking legislation and engaging community members in local and national grassroots efforts. Polaris is a leader in the global fight to eradicate modern slavery. Named after the North Star that guided slaves to freedom in the U.S., Polaris systemically disrupts the human trafficking networks that rob human beings of their lives and their freedom.