Sex trafficking. Coercion. Blackmail. Abuse.
These things happen to other people, in other places. Not here. Not to people we know and love. Right?
Sadly, this is far from the truth. Sex trafficking happens throughout the country, and affects teens (and adults) of all races, classes, genders, and ethnicities. An estimated 100,000 children are part of the U.S. sex trade each year. And here—yes, here, in Dayton, Ohio—the problem is especially rampant.
Bit by bit, light is being shed on this devastating—yet often invisible—crisis. Our friends at Catapult Creative recently got involved with one awareness-raising initiative: Just Ask VA, a campaign designed to expose the growing prevalence of teen sex trafficking in Northern Virginia. Catapult supplied Just Ask VA with a great new website and creative input for the campaign.
It’s important work, and we’re happy to see the project come to fruition. This is a problem we can’t ignore any longer.
Learn more about Just Ask VA here. Get access to resources and nationwide statistics on human trafficking at the Polaris Project.