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** Advocating for Trafficking Survivors In The Criminal Justice System
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Since our founding, ECPAT-USA has been at the forefront of the fight for legislation that will protect children who are commercially sexually exploited. With a new administration sworn in and a new session of Congress starting in Washington, D.C., we are also excited to welcome our new Director of Public Policy, Nina DeJonghe ([link removed]) . Nina will be helping shape our advocacy efforts this year, including our work on sex trafficking and the criminal justice system.

Cases involving child sex trafficking are complex and require a multijurisdictional approach. It is imperative that victims receive sufficient protection from law enforcement and that the judicial system upholds the law by prosecuting sexual predators whose sole purpose is to victimize children by subjecting them to a harmful life for monetary gain.

We must also acknowledge the level of irreversible trauma placed on children subjected to this lifestyle, which sometimes leaves them unable to navigate their lives after being victimized. To achieve this, it is crucial that trauma-informed practices and measures are in place to support victims.
Take Action - Help #FreeZephi
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Zephaniah "Zephi" Trevino ([link removed]) , 17, is a child sex trafficking victim who is being charged with capital murder in Texas. An adult has confessed to the crime in her case, in which Zephi was also being sexually exploited. In 2019, Phillip Baldenegro and Jesse Martinez are alleged to have ambushed two men at an apartment who were there, they believed, to have sex with Zephi, who was 16 at the time. One of the men was injured and one was killed, and Baldenegro has confessed to being the one who pulled the trigger.

Baldenegro’s attorney claims that Zephi is the one who lured the two victims to the apartment and that he and Zephi were in a consensual romantic relationship. But to hear Zephi and her parents describe the situation, it is clear that Zephi was being exploited and manipulated. Her trafficker is reported to have physically abused Zephi and threatened to harm her ([link removed]) and her family if she told them what was happening. Zephi was sold for sex at the age of 16. There is no other way to describe the circumstances than child sex trafficking. Take action now and demand justice for Zephi ([link removed]) .
Trafficking in the News

Exploitation affects communities in every state in the U.S. Below, you can learn more about cases related to sex trafficking across the country that made headlines this month.
* Houston man gets life for trafficking girls for sex ([link removed]) - A 45-year-old Houston man has been sent to prison and ordered to pay nearly $1 million following his convictions on five separate counts of sex trafficking involving adults and minors.
* FBI finds 33 missing children in an anti-trafficking operation ([link removed]) - Thirty-three children were recovered in an anti-trafficking operation in Southern California dubbed "Operation Lost Angels.”
* United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe Maintains Priority on Seeking Justice And Recovery For Victims Of Child Exploitation ([link removed]) – United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe of the Northern District of Florida announced that a total of 39 defendants were indicted in 2020 on federal charges involving the exploitation of children, ranging from production, distribution, and possession of child pornography to sex trafficking of minors.

SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMS ([link removed])
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ECPAT-USA is the leading policy organization in the United States seeking to end the commercial, sexual exploitation of children through awareness, advocacy, policy, and legislation. Join us ([link removed]) .

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