Dear Friend,

Systems of sexual exploitation feed off of racial stereotypes and the marginalization of Black communities. 

Here are a few telling facts:

👉In Louisiana, Black girls account for nearly 49% of child sex trafficking victims and 84% in King County, Washington–though Black girls comprise only 19% and 7% of the populations respectively. 

👉Black children are overrepresented in the foster care system. Although only 14% of children in the United States are Black, 23% of children in the foster care system are Black. Children in the foster care system are at high risk of being trafficked.

👉Sex buyers are disproportionately white men, but women and girls of color bear the brunt of prostitution arrests. Black adults account for approximately 37% of adult prostitution arrests and Black children account for nearly 53% of all “juvenile prostitution” arrests–in both cases, this percentage is higher than for any other racial group.  

👉In a study done by the Urban Institute, traffickers reported that they believed they would receive less jail time for trafficking Black women as opposed to their white counterparts.

February is Black History month and many are rightly discussing issues of racism. But do people know the chilling facts about how racism intersects with sexual exploitation? 

Join us in raising awareness, during Black History Month!  

Here are a couple blogs you can share on social media to start the conversation. These blogs explore the long history of how racism and systems of sexual exploitation have fed and nourished each other over the centuries–starting with slavery and continuing to today.

1) The Centuries-Long Racism of the Sexual Exploitation Marketplace

2) Sex Trafficking in the African American Community is a Human Rights Violation 

We encourage you to read the blogs as well, to educate yourself further on this crucial issue. 

The discrimination that fills the sex trafficking marketplace is a global emergency and a severe human rights violation. It cannot be ignored any longer.

Thank you for joining us in pushing for recognition and change!