14-year-old girl rescued from forced prostitution
A 14-year-old who ran away from home and was forced into prostitution after living on the streets is free and starting a new life, thanks to Hope for Justice.
Our US team were told that Emily* had ran away from home in the Southern United States, by a friend of the family.
With no mobile phone, no money, and having taken no clothes or other essentials with her, it was clear that Emily was very vulnerable. Our expert team sprang into action and after meeting with Emily’s family, our investigators spoke to local residents, shopkeepers and passers-by, and called for the help of the wider community through ‘missing person’ posters and flyers.
We were able to locate Emily in a block of apartments four days after she had gone missing. After spending three nights on the street, Emily took up an offer of shelter from an individual, only to learn later that this meant she would be forced to sell sex to survive.
Our team rescued Emily and reunited her with her family. We also offered her ongoing counseling to help her recover from her ordeal. With our support, Emily and her family have now moved to another state. Emily is now well and has returned to high school.
*Name and image changed to protect individual’s identity
Library image, posed by actor. Does not show this case.
