Love146 Launches Campaign to Provide Long-Term Solutions in Texas' Fight Against Sex-Trafficking

DALLAS, Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Love146, an international anti-trafficking organization, is launching a campaign titled It's Not My Fault (INMF), to raise awareness about child sex trafficking and, ultimately, to provide long-term prevention programs for at-risk and exploited youth in the Dallas Fort-Worth area.  

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Texas may account for more than 25 percent (25,000) of all human trafficking victims annually in the U.S.  In prior years, some 38 percent of all calls to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline were from Texas. Domestically, 100,000 children are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation every year and 13 is the average age of forced entrance into prostitution.

"Child sex trafficking is a tragic reality in Texas, and when local law enforcement and area residents realize this is happening in their back yards, they are rising up and standing firm against it. I have rarely seen this level of dedication to the cause in my 10 years as an anti-trafficking advocate," said Lamont Hiebert, Love146 co-founder. "Because we've seen such dedication, and because the issue of human trafficking is rampant here, Love146 is committed to help launch a long-term prevention program specifically created for the Dallas Fort-worth area."

World-wide sporting events like February's "big game" have become one of the largest human trafficking events. With a clear call to action to dial the national trafficking hotline (888-373-7888), the INMF campaign centers on empowering local advocates to be aware, report suspicious behavior and rally around victims to instill hope for a better future. As part of the INMF campaign, Love146 is utilizing billboards and coordinating local advocates into select volunteer-based teams. Additionally, Love146 has developed a powerful video illustrating the brutality child sex trafficking visits on its victims.

Joining Love146's efforts is survivor, Jessica Richardson, who knows first-hand what it's like to be trafficked for sex during a major sporting event. As one of the 100,000 children in the United States trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation every year, she remembers the horrors and brutality of being sold as a commodity.

"I was a victim of sex trafficking. I was a slave. I was beaten, broken, and abused, but today I am free," said Richardson, now married and a mother of five. "It's time to expose sex trafficking in the U.S. for what it is – slavery," said Richardson who is now a spokesperson and prevention education facilitator for Love146.

Like most survivors of abuse or exploitation, Richardson understands the restorative power of the campaign slogan. "When I was raped at four years old it was my fault, because I did not speak up. When a pimp lied to me about a better life and then betrayed me, it was my fault. For years I listened to the lies, but now I know the truth, it's not my fault."

About Love146

Love146 is a leading international organization dedicated to abolishing child sex slavery and exploitation.  After launching successful programs in Asia, Love146 continues to expand its programs in the United States and Europe.  

In September 2002, co-founders Rob Morris, Lamont Hiebert, Desirea Rodgers went on an exploratory trip to Southeast Asia to determine how best to combat child sex trafficking.  In Asian brothels, they saw young children sold for sex; and in safe homes, they witnessed the miracle of restoration as they sang and danced with survivors.  From that first trip, their mission became clear – to work towards the abolition of child sex slavery through prevention and aftercare.

Since then, Love146's prevention projects have rescued children as young as three, and their aftercare program is considered one of the best in the world.  

Information on Love146 and the It's Not My Fault campaign can be found online at Love146.org and ItsNotMyFault.org.

SOURCE Love146