CNN Covers Child Sex Trafficking

Child sex trafficking happens here in Chicago every single day. Many of the survivors who have escaped from their pimps and traffickers are brave enough to tell their stories and to help fight for changes in laws to help others escape the trade.

This Sunday night, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. CST, CNN will be airing a story about the commercial sexual exploitation of children. They will focus on the story of “Selena”, a 13-year-old from a middle class family who ran away from home and was pimped—she was forced to have sex with strangers for money. A person did this to her, and yet she is the one struggling to fund the resources to recover. It’s called “Selling the Girl Next Door” and you can read a preview here.

As we’re bombarded by these images of young girls, it’s critical to think about what’s not being represented—the faces of the people (mostly men) who are buying sex. These “johns” face little to no consequence for their actions, and they know what they’re doing is wrong. CNN reports:

We posted our own ad, using a photo of CNN correspondent Amber Lyon when she was 14 years old. She told the men who called that she was underage; most didn't care.

CAASE is proud of our End Demand Illinois campaign, which advocates for laws and practices to protect survivors of prostitution. We want harsher penalties for the people who buy sex, and more resources for women to exit the sex trade. To learn more, visit www.enddemandillinois.org.