Phoenix, Arizona is a major tourist town, but what most people don’t realize is that Phoenix has become a magnet city for child prostitution and human trafficking. Human trafficking is often identified as an overseas issue; however, this nightmare exists in our very own backyard.

The average age of entry into child prostitution in Phoenix and the United States is 13 years old.  Up to 300,000 children are at risk in the United States for sexual exploitation according to the National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children.

The numbers are alarming, but even more alarming are the tortures these young children endure as they are lied to, lured away, taken, exploited and forced into sex slavery that’s beyond their will.

Often labeled as delinquent juvenile prostitutes, these young children have been forced into a life of torture and abuse they would never choose on their own. With few choices for safe housing, these children are placed in detention facilities and sometimes jail. Once released and with no place to go, these victims tragically return to their pimps for survival.

Nearly 3 years ago a group of individuals began asking a series of “what if” questions: What if Phoenix could become an example to other cities in our nation and around the world of the enormous potential when market place leaders, city leaders, young people, churches, faith based and non-profit organizations work together to eradicate child sex slavery? What if one of our greatest testimonies to society became a unified, loving effort that not only talked about issues of injustice but also helped solve one?