Generate Hope: Help For Young Girls

I went to a fund raiser for Generate Hope.  It was inspiring.  Here in San Diego sex trafficing is rampant.  Most girls that are lured into prostitution are age 14-16.  It takes years, if ever, for them to escape the horror.  Generate Hope is helping girls recover from the trauma of sex with up to 10 partners a night for years.  They need to rebuild self esteem and ultimately start a new life.

Most girls are lured into prostitution at a very young age.  They are often girls that don't feel they fit in, and are looking for someone to love them.  The sex trafficers spot these girls at malls, in front of schools, or at the movies.  They are often getting attention from a young man for the first time, and they love it.  Within weeks they are into prostitution.  They are told that they need to prostitute themselves to help pay for expenses.  (most of them run away from home to be with the boyfriend).

This all leads to an abusive relationship from which it is hard to escape.  In the past few years, Generate Hope has helped over 100 young girls recover and rebuild their lives.  Over 12,000 girls are taken in this way in the San Diego area every year.  Sex trafficing is very lucrative, second only to illegal drugs in profitability of underground businesses.  Our Newcomers group  raised over $14,000 for Generate Hope, which will go a long way towards helping these young girls.

If you've visited the ladies room at an airport in Southern California you have probably seen big signs in the restrooms and in individual stalls urging girls that are in a situation that they want to escape from to call for help.  Great idea.  This is such a serious problem.  It breaks my heart to think of beautiful young girls in middle school being lured into a horrible life.  Hopefully Generate Hope and other organizations that work to end sex trafficing will continue to fight the fight.  Unfortunately gangs, learning of the amount of money that can be made, have gotten in on the activity.  I hope laws are tough on these people that take advantage of young girls.  They must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.