by Karen Abbruscato, Board PResident
Do you wonder why all of a sudden we are hearing about human trafficking? Three
years ago, at a Women of Faith conference, I listened to Christine Caine (The A21
Campaign) speak about human trafficking and what a big problem it is. I thought to
myself what a horrible problem it is but I’m glad it’s not happening here in the USA.
Next I heard about it at the Santa Clara YWCA fundraiser and started seeing
billboards around California’s Silicon Valley area.
Unfortunately, it’s happening right here in the USA, in California, in the San
Francisco bay area. Sex trafficking victims are subjected in homes, airports, hotel
rooms and some massage parlors. Labor trafficking happens in restaurants, nail
salons, child-care facilities, and in the construction industry.
Many victims of the sex trafficking are teens who don’t have a place to call home.
They’re part of an unstable child welfare system, they may have come from an
abusive home, or they aged out of getting support when they turned 18. When
they’re on the streets the ‘johns’ find and befriend them. They are often times
introduced to addictive drugs, which keeps the kids lured to do whatever it takes to
get the next fix.
So what can we do about this horrible problem? We can be aware and supportive of
the organizations that help these people. Reducing the number of vulnerable
victims would start with a look into the child welfare system and how it could be
more accommodating for all the children who end up in this system. We can
provide more research to train first responders, police and attorneys to identify
victims so they can be rescued from their dire situations. We can also take care of
the victims once they’re rescued so they’re not exploited again. That’s where One
Bread Foundation, Inc. comes in to action. We raise funds for the rehabilitation of
children rescued from sex trafficking in the bay area. The victims are in need of
medical and psychological attention as well as housing and education. When you
support One Bread Foundation, Inc. by shopping through our link to Amazon, you
help a child rediscover their childhood.
The problem is overwhelming if you think of the 5000 people, in the San Francisco
bay area alone, who are victims. But taking it one person at a time we can achieve
success. As the A21 organization so aptly states it, “Freedom for all starts with
helping one.” Please visit www.one-bread.com and click on the Amazon link
whenever you shop Amazon. A portion of your purchase will be donated to help one
child.