In 2010, I discovered that sex trafficking was happening just a mile from my home in Oakland—and no one was talking about it. The silence and apathy were shocking. It wasn’t on government websites, and it wasn’t addressed in schools. This was a life-or-death crisis, yet kids weren’t being given the tools to protect themselves. I knew I had to act. I committed to raising awareness and bringing prevention education into schools.

The numbers are staggering:

• 100,000 children are forced into prostitution in the U.S. every year.

• The average age of entry into the sex trade is just 12 years old (U.S. Dept. of Justice).

• 1 in 3 runaways is approached by a trafficker within 48 hours (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children).

• Minors are sold 10-15 times a day, six days a week—up to 14,040 sex acts a year—and they see none of the money (Shared Hope International).

Our kids are on the front lines of this human rights abuse. They’re recruited at school, parties, malls and on social networks by people they know and predators who “befriend” them.  Recruitment by classmates can even be inadvertent, like a trafficker asking a kid to invite friends to a party.  Peer pressure can make youth vulnerable to being trafficked or becoming recruiters.

Pop culture glorifies pimping, distorting reality. Some teens see prostitution as fast cash; others do it just to survive. But self-selling makes kids easy prey for traffickers. Even toddlers aren’t safe—some are sold by their own parents to afford drugs or groceries.

As a parent and activist, I’m on a mission to prevent child sex trafficking. I’ve curated the best resources to arm teachers, parents, and communities with the tools to fight back.

Please help raise awareness of these crimes against children.  Our children.

Genice Jacobs, Founder, Abolitionist Mom