The US Department of Justice states that the average age of a trafficked victim is 12 to 14. “Kimberly” was 12 years old when she was manipulated by her 18-year-old boyfriend who asked her if she loved him after their first time having sex. Once she said yes, he allowed 5 other men to enter the room and they proceeded to gang rape her . . . 12-years-old. The protocol was standard in the world of romeo pimps that are often times the first step to seasoning for trafficked victims.

Time after time, day after day, advocates;,care givers, rescuers, and service providers of human trafficking hear the stories. They never end, and the age seems to get younger and younger. While Kimberly is now on her road to living a whole life, there are hundreds of thousands of american youth bound in the chains of sex traffickers and many of them by their own peers.

Kimberly’s story is not unique; these girls are sitting at school desks all across the United States while living a nightmare inside. Some statistics say that approximately 30% of youth victims are boys.  And, it is important to note that some of the young men in the classrooms may be acting as “romeo pimps” and recruiting for traffickers.

National Edcuators to Stop Trafficking wants to see every school in America understand what their students are experiencing in today’s world. It is our hope that educators everywhere will indeed become educated on the tactics that are employed, the pitfalls that at-risk youth succumb to, and the depth of trauma that they are enduring . . . even while sitting in the class room.