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The solution? She suggests that "we need to look at creating a fundamental cultural shift in how men relate to women."
"Hi I'm Angela, I was 14 years old when I was first trafficked on the street, in San Diego, in Spring Valley. I was brought in by a female. When I was first trafficked I was walking along the side of the road and I was set up. Someone asked me for directions and I got pulled into the car. Something was put over my face, and I was passed out and raped in the back of the car when I woke up. I was told if I said anything they would kill my mother. So I obeyed what they said. I was then brought to an apartment. And I was chained in a bathroom. I was chained to the wall. There were four or five other girls around me. We were all stripped naked. On the ground. There were dog bowls around that we would eat out of. They would beat us. Rape us. Repeatedly. Daily. Just for entertainment. Just for their own pleasure,” she revealed.
"My first experience,” Angela recalled. “There was an 8-year-old girl in the room with me at one time. And I remember her and I will still remember this until the day I die. An 8-year-old girl crying for her mommy and her daddy. She was 8-years-old. Imagine yourself, 8-years-old, stripped naked, on the ground, on the bathroom floor, chained, crying for your mommy. Don't know where you're at. Wanting your mommy. While you’re being raped and pimped out on the streets. And all you knew was going to school, and all you had to worry about before this was going to school before then. I did get away. So did that 8-year-old girl I helped still today. We both were at house, we were dropped off at a house, what we called them were 'tricks,' tricks and jobs. We were dropped off and we were going to a room. And to get dressed. A lot of them liked us to get dressed in school clothes, or whatever, for their fantasies would be. And there was a small window. We went out that window. She went her way with mine and I went back to my school. The school that I knew of. And I told them I was on Craigslist. And the police officers were on Craiglist and took down the site on which I was on. You were mentioning Craigslist. Yes, there are a lot of girls on Craigslist. They call is Exotic. They are not the real names. They are not the real ages. I was 14-years-old and the fake I.D. that I has said I was 21. They dress you up and make you look all pretty and fancy and they cover up all the marks and bruises they make on you. And all of it's fake. And this needs to end now. People don't think it happens but it does.”
It's really happening. And it's true. You just have to wake up and see. You can't survive it. If you see someone doing it just pull them aside and show them there's a different life to live, 'cus there is. You can help. Give them a number. There's something called Children of the Night (www.childrenofthenight.org). That's where I went. I called them 'cus there are no shelters here. I would have them call Children of the Night.
"Not many people understand or really believe that an idea like human trafficking exists, especially in a city like San Diego, but it does." said Marla Laguardia, Traffic Coordinator for Af3irm San Diego. (www.af3irm.org) "And that's why we're here today. We're here to create that kind of awareness."
"At this moment human trafficking is going on," said Enrique Morones, Founder of Border Angels (www.borderangels.org). "At this moment, somebody, against their will, is being forced to have sex with another human being, and this horrible, horrible situation is happening all over the world… a lot of this is based on the demand, and that demand comes from the United States."
When asked by event organizer Mendonça to speak about LGBT issues at the event, Ruth "Tikki" Inacay, USD Rainbow Educator (www.sandiego.edu/unitedfront/leadership/rainbow_educators) realized she was not an expert and needed to do some research about the problem.
Upcoming events:
The events will feature a screening of the documentary "Indoctrinated: The Grooming of Children into Prostitution (www.indoctrinated.org)
In a push to change the laws that pertain to trafficking, De Los Reyes wants people to make a difference through political activism. "I want to encourage you to look up the CASE Act, Californians Against Sexual Exploitation (www.caseact.org). They have a huge push in November. This legislation will address services, because penalties will be higher as well as fines.
Cenedella explained. "We got 75 companies thoughout the world to protest Craigslist outside their headquarters. It's the first time people put two and two together. 'Oh my God, trafficking happens in America? Oh my God, an American company is involved and complicit? Oh my God, that can't be real!' But Craigslist is still a problem even though they've shut down their adult services."
And BackPage is a problem, too. And even more-so, Google AdWords, which takes paid ads from human traffickers. The problem with AdWords is estimated at nine to ten times greater than BackPage.
Phil Cenedella, Executive Director, National Association of Human Trafficking Victim Advocates (www.www.stopslavery2012.com) opened his speech by channelling Howard Beale from the movie Network. "I'm mad as Hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" exclaimed Cenedella. Then he laid out three things that each person can do to help bring change.
"I wake up each morning pissed off that Sara Kruzan is in jail," said Cenedella.
Sara Kruzan. You may have heard her story by now. At the age of 11, Kruzan met a 31-year old man named G.G. He began grooming her for a life of prostitution. At 13 she was forced onto the streets as a prostitute. After three years of abuse Kruzan killed G.G. She was 16 years old and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus four years. In 2011, Governor Schwarzenegger commuted her sentence to 25 years WITH the possibility of parole. Kruzan has been in prison for over 17 years now. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR7mno6p9iQ)
Much of the world sex trade was formed to service the United States military while at home and abroad. "It goes back thousands of years..." said Hoilberg. "During World War II, 200,000 women were kidnapped and served as sex slaves for the Japanese military."
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