by Maryssa Rillo
According to the Soroptimists website, “every 30 seconds another person becomes a victim of Human Trafficking.”
On Thursday, March 7th the Soroptimists, an organization that “helps women and girls live out their dreams,” held their 12th annual community walk and forum to raise awareness about human trafficking and sexual slavery.
The walk began at 5:30 p.m. and about 80 women, men and children walked from the Ventura Museum and continued down Main Street with signs while chanting, “Stop human trafficking, stop.”
Following the walk there was a forum at the Ventura Museum with three guest speakers.
Karie Rothchild, a survivor and advocate for those affected by human trafficking began the forum by sharing her story as a survivor. At 13 Rothchild’s mother sold her into sex trafficking in order to support her drug addiction.
Rothchild refuted the misconception that sex trafficking is all done through physical force in foreign countries
“You don’t really need to be chained. It’s a mental thing. There’s someone whose job is entirely to get you psychologically into a place and once that’s done its done. You don’t have to have anything on you,” Rothchild said.
According to Rothchild in 2016, 5,788 more girls went missing than boys. In 2017 that number increased to 6,942 and in 2018, 7,982 more girls than boys went missing. Rothchild encouraged everyone to pay attention to warning signs in order to help these young girls.
“Be the best you that you could be and listen to your gut and those instincts when you can,” Rothchild said. “We all can make a difference, wherever we are and pay that forward.”
Following Rothchild’s speech Kris Hart, founder and CEO of 4Kids2Kids spoke about her experiences providing aid to kids who are victims of human trafficking.
According to the Soroptimist website 4Kids2Kids “provides safe homes for sex trafficking survivors.”
According to Hart, 43 girls have enrolled in 4Kids2Kids. After being in this program three girls returned to their families, ten girls went into foster care, five girls graduated high school, three went to college/trade school, three rented their own apartment and three testified against their traffickers.
Hart emphasized that these victims are just children and the need to educate ourselves on the issue.
“If we don’t educate ourselves then we just don’t know,” Hart said. “If you see something you have to say something and that is how we promote change, and that is how we make a difference.”
Next, Darryl Evey, Executive Director of Family Assistance Program in San Bernardino spoke and explained different legislations that help victims of human trafficking.
These bills have and will treat survivors as victims rather than criminals which in turn gives them the opportunity to prosper in life. Without such policies survivors are not given the chance to fully recover and the only way to have policies that protect these women is to have the community promote and support such bills.
“Your legislatures need to hear from you. If they get 10 phone calls or emails on a bill, they ‘think wow that’s interesting,’ if they get 20 they stop what they’re doing and look at it. So, if every one of you contact all of your legislatures these bills will absolutely pass,” said Evey
For more information on the Soroptimists you can visit their website at http://oxnardsoroptimist.org/. If you would like to get involved and learn more about the bills that would help these young women you can visit http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/.
