Sam was only 14 when adult men started grooming her online for sex trafficking. At the end of the school year Sam moved to Tacoma and was feeling really lonely without her friends. With her parents at work during the summer, Sam had nobody to talk to and downloaded Omegle (a chat app who's tagline is "talk to strangers.")

On Omegle Sam met her boyfriend BK who was 26. BK manipulated Sam into sending explicit photos and videos. A few days after Sam sent the photos to BK he created an OnlyFans account and started selling Sam's photos and videos online. He told her that if she didn't send more photos and videos he would send the OnlyFans information to her parents and people who went to her school.

Sam is one of the reasons why we teach online safety.

Through Empowered U, young people learn about the grooming tactics that traffickers use and how they can keep themselves safe while they're online, at school, and in the community by learning about boundaries, healthy relationships, values, and self-esteem.

You can help make Empowered U available to young people throughout Washington by registering for Prevention Starts With You.

Prevention Starts With You!

Together we can end stories like Sam's. Throughout the week there are multiple ways you can help prevent human trafficking:

• Bid on our online auction July 19-25
• Learn more about human trafficking at our event
• Attend one of our exclusive events and bring a friend

Admission is free this year! Visit our event page below: