Last week, CNN (in conjunction with the Freedom Project) broadcast a one-hour program hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith (an ardent anti-sex trafficking activist) featuring six women whose lives were once in the hands of traffickers. The stories include a fourteen year-old, recruited out of her own school, and a young woman who began her foray into the sex industry as a stripper, only to be told that she could make more money if she also agreed to offer sex as part of her services. One of the most chilling details about this piece? Every one of the stories takes place in Atlanta, Georgia--one of the largest "hubs" for sex trafficking in the United States. According to CNN (through an Urban Institute study), the illegal sex industry in Atlanta generates over $290 million dollars a year.
Jada Pinkett Smith became involved in the movement to end sex slavery when her eleven year old told her that there were girls her age in the U.S. being sold for sex. In disbelief, Pinkett Smith spent hours on her computer researching the cases. It was a wake-up call creating a call-to-action in her heart. In this documentary from CNN, Pinkett Smith interviews many of these women who have come out of "the life" as well as a courageous rescuer who runs The Living Water Center, a shelter and rehabilitation center for trafficked girls.
If you haven't seen Children for Sale: The Fight to End Human Trafficking, I highly recommend watching the documentary or some of the clips at THIS LINK on CNN.com.
