Exchange Initiative

Not all trafficking cases look like what you see in movies. If a child victim receives money in exchange from sex that is sex trafficking, whether the child willingly engages or is forced. When jurors hear ‘sex trafficking,’ they conjure up images of victims bound by chains, subjected to physical force and imprisonment. While some cases include those aggravating facts, more often, the victim instead chooses to stay with her assailant, who preys upon a vulnerability. Defendants recruit victims in a variety of ways and then force them to engage in sex acts with them or with paying customers. Jurors are sometimes persuaded that if the defendant was truly engaging in sex trafficking, the victim would have simply run away or called the police.

Sheila Johnston, 33, was arrested during a sting operation for sex trafficking a 15-year-old girl who she had guardianship over.

We’re so pleased that Cleveland Hotels take sex trafficking seriously. Thank you for educating your employees prior to the All-Star Game last week and for encouraging people to use the TraffickCam app.

This kid is a superstar!

Saving victims from the traffickers is only the first step. The most concrete way for survivors reclaim their dignity is through a job. It’s what makes survivors’ rehabilitation sustainable in the long term. And without a path to safe employment, victims of human trafficking remain vulnerable to repeat the cycle of exploitation.