After the walk, a sex trafficking survivor, Nikki Junker--a U.S citizen representing With More Than Purpose, told her story of being trafficked by a man she had thought was her boyfriend. She told us that she came from a middle class family and that she was trafficked to Las Vegas. Currently Nikki helps other girls that have been rescued from sex trafficking. She gives all of us hope that other trafficking victims can become survivors and find their place in the world again.
She told us that if the girls she worked with knew how many people had shown up to support them, they would be happily surprised. According to Nikki, most of the time these girls feel like they are the "scum of the earth." That is why it is important that we help give them a voice, and spread the word that modern day slavery exists and WE WILL NOT STAND FOR IT.
California Against Slavery is trying to pass an initiative for the 2012 ballot to help create harsher laws for traffickers in CA, including increasing the prison sentence of a trafficker from the current 3 - 8 years to LIFE. If you would like to learn more about the initiative and how you can help, please visit California Against Slavery. I personally enjoyed raising money for them with my team MiraCosta Rotaract. It was also a great way to create awareness that human trafficking is happening right here in San Diego.
