The sexual exploitation and forced prostitution of American girls is a real problem – so real that it has necessitated 42 special law enforcement units in key hot spots around the country.
We’re asking for your help in raising awareness that the sex trafficking of children is happening now and new solutions are underway to address it.
StreetLightUSA is changing loopholes in the law, building Centers of Excellence and Treatment that restore young girls, and establishing new forms of understanding among social workers, law enforcement and the public about this cultural scourge.
It’s more than putting pen to paper. Put new life in her hands. Support StreetLightUSA by clicking any of the items on the left.
Jane watched her parents use marijuana and other drugs. Even when they divorced and remarried, each “new” family also used drugs. And her stepmother was physically abusive. She ended up in one foster home after another, and eventually ran away. A young male prostitute taught her how to turn tricks for money…
-a true survivor story, courtesy of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
She felt abandoned by those most important to her.
She felt she had no friends.
She had to flee an unsafe home.
Prostituted children and teens are more likely:
- to have been subjected to poor parenting
- to have family members with substance abuse problems
- to have truancy problems at school
- to have “deviant” friends or no social network at school
Girls like Jane who come to StreetLightUSASM need a new chapter in life. While they can’t rewrite the past, they can change the plotline for their futures. They begin with journaling, which helps them imagine a new direction and the kind of women they want to become.
It’s more than putting pen to paper. Put new life in her hands. Support StreetLightUSA by clicking any of the items on the left.
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Cheryl’s stepfather began sexually abusing her when she was 10. She ran away from home and dropped out of school four years later. On the street she met Michael, who gave her a place to stay. The two friends had sex and he encouraged her to prostitute herself to earn money for both of them…
-a true survivor story, courtesy of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
With nowhere else to go, she goes to the streets.
She is the modern-day runaway – chasing any escape.
Prostituted children and teens are more likely:
- to need shelter, food and protection after running away from home
- to trade sex for basic items and drugs
- to be in poor socio-economic neighborhoods with few options for employment
- to be too young to hold a job but need means to an end
- to be manipulated by a “boyfriend” who really is a pimp
Girls like Cheryl who come to StreetLightUSA need a new chapter in life. While they can’t rewrite the past, they can change the plotline for their futures. They receive medical and emotional care, receive tutoring, complete basic education requirements, and are guided toward new career goals so they can be independent and free.
When life is bad, it doesn’t have to get worse.
I left my body. Very seldom I was ever there… I knew where I was at, I mean, I knew what they were doing [to me], but it was like I have no feeling,” Karen says. “I don’t cry anymore. I wasn’t allowed to cry, so I quit crying, and that’s what I miss most because there’s times I just want to sit down and cry, and there’s no tears anymore.
-a true survivor story, courtesy of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Early, frequent and aggressive sexual activity has physical and emotional health consequences.
Prostituted children and teens are more likely:
- to experience post-traumatic stress and disassociation
- to view others with fear and mistrust
- to have infections or physical pain from forced sex
- to be malnourished
- to rely on drugs to numb their world
- to have suicidal thoughts
Girls like Karen who come to StreetLightUSASM need a new chapter in life. While they can’t rewrite the past, they can change the plotline for their futures. They receive immediate medical care and behavioral care, which includes journaling and group therapy with others who understand their pain. They receive tutoring, attend school, and learn to master tasks of independence and proper self-care.
It’s more than putting pen to paper. Put new life in her hands. Support StreetLightUSA by clicking any of the items on the right.
