Rachel Lloyd’s Memoir ‘Girls Like Us’ and Child Sex Trafficking

To listen to the interview, go to http://www.wgcu.org/Gulf-Coast-Live/rachel-lloyds-memoir-girls-like-us-and-the-underworld-of-child-sex-trafficking

Monday, 05 March 2012

The issue of child sex trafficking is nothing new, but in the minds of many Americans, it’s primarily a problem for countries like Cambodia or Thailand. According to one estimate, more than a million and a half children under 18 have been caught up in the sex trade here in the U.S. Analysts believe hundreds of thousands more have been or are at risk of being sexually exploited every year.

Join our conversation with sex trafficking survivor advocate Rachel Lloyd, touring Fort Myers for a book signing at Books-A-Million at 7pm on March 23, 2012 in conjunction with PACE Center for Girls. Rachel joins us to tell her own story of surviving the child sex trade and of working to help others in the her memoir ‘Girls Like Us’. Lloyd is executive director and founder of New York’s Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS) where she’s been empowering girls and young women exploited in the commercial sex trade for more than ten years.

We’ll also take a closer at just how prevalent the sexual exploitation of children is here in Southwest Florida. Our guests also include Karen Mason, Executive Director, Our Mother’s Home and Nola Theiss, Executive Director, Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, Inc.