100 Girls a Night

As a native Atlantan, I've spent many years hearing the quiet conversations about girls who get "turned out" in the most innocent of places: our skating rinks, our night clubs, even in our own homes. When I was in high school, I remember a few girls who were "stripping" for money after school; I'm not quite sure what happened to them. The fact that I don't know speaks to a greater problem that the city of Atlanta has had for a long time: child sex trafficking.

Our girls grow up too fast, it seems. I recently saw a girl who could have been no older than 10-years-old wearing a full set of acrylic nails, a halter top, and short shorts. My daughter, who is only 7 years-old, asked, "Isn't she too young to wear fake nails?" "Indeed," I told her.

Sadly, there are men who pry on "adult" children like her; their insatiable, and quite frankly, disgusting desire to have sex with a child has fueled the child sex trafficking industry. Atlanta has become a hot spot, and it's not for good reasons; Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is one of the largest hubs for commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of children and young adults in the U.S.

Our girls, especially African-American ones, are entering child sex slavery at alarming rates. On average, over 100 adolescent girls are raped and sexually exploited for money in Georgia on any given night. Yes, that means that by nightfall, there will be 100 adolescent girls who will do the unthinkable for reasons unimaginable. Many of them have run away from home and they have no one to turn to. Their faces are all over missing posters, but their pimps keep them under such a lock-and-key, they'll never know anyone is looking for them.

Living Waters for Girls (LWFG), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Atlanta, has been a beacon of light for girls who desperately want to leave sex trafficking; Living Waters' goal is to "rescue, rehabilitate and restore commercially sexually exploited girls by providing safe refuge and holistic therapeutic services", but their impact is much greater than that. Their long-term comprehensive program helps girls earn their GED, break free from drug and alcohol addictions, gain valuable vocational and life skills and prepare them for a life free from abuse.

Living Waters focuses on restoring the entire person and empowering them to live beyond their circumstances. Founder Lisa Williams has committed her life to raising awareness about commercial sex trafficking and needs our help to further her reach to save our girls.

Starting April 1, Living Water for Girls is launching A 100 Days for Beautiful a virtual fundraiser to raise $40,000 to receive a matching grant from The Quest Foundation. If they can raise $40,000, The Quest Foundation will give them $40,000. How's that for exponential giving?

LWFG is asking for you, yes you, to host a kick-off party April 1 (or any day thereafter) to help spread the word about their efforts. Invite your friends (and your daughters, nieces, and sisters), gather some food, and a laptop. Open up the discussion (and your wallet) to make a donation to Living Waters for Girls

I'm doing my part (two-fold) by bringing awareness and making a donation. It's small, but it helps. To learn more about Living Water for Girls, visit www.livingwaterforgirls.org and check out the video below.

 

Follow Alisha L. Gordon, M.Ed. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AlishaLGordon

Comments

[Stacy Parker Le Melle]

12:28 AM on 04/01/2012

Thank you for doing this work! If it's 100 girls in Georgia, I can't even imagine what the number is nationwide. Or even in Harlem, where I live.

[AJCAVReport]

11:58 PM on 03/31/2012

I keep myself up to date on current events, conscious of what's going on. However, your article 100 girls a night, enlightened me on a problem, I knew absolutely nothing about. Such a shame to see so much young lives going to waste. Keep up the good work. You are truly an example of, being apart of the solution, and not apart the problem.

[Trueletterson]

12:12 PM on 03/31/2012

Alisha L. Gordon good article, great work on a sad and terrible plague on our females and young girls all will have litter impact on this horrible crime until we step back, rethink what we are doing and start working together to promote and rebuild the black family. The fact of this matter is by far most young girls coming from a strong family unit [father and mother] have never fell prey to a pimp, why because a pimp will not take the risk of pimping a strong man daughter because he don't want to risk retribution from a vengeful father. In any civilization males, fathers or husbands main duty is to be the protectors [read Dr.Frances Cress Welsing book "The Isis Papers"] with a strong father in a young girls life she is less likely to fall prey to any pimp, hustler or predator male or female. Again to all the do gooder, 501[C] we will never get a handle on this plague in our community until we promote and rebuild the traditional family unit. Because in nature where every there is a weakness predators are always luring like a roving lion seeking a way to use, exploit, take advantage of, devour and destroy the weak.

[chiefraz1]

10:19 AM on 03/31/2012

I am so shocked there are no comments here. Horrid things are happening to young girls every day. Trayvon Martin being shot is terrible, but not as terrible as what is happening to these young girls EVERY DAY!

[P Hill]

01:17 PM on 03/31/2012

I agree. Trayvon's murder is a tragedy and his killer should be prosecuted. However, we are embarking upon the summer, and I am wary of hearing the stories of widespread killings in our communities of young black men by other young black men. There is so much that needs to be done in our communities with both our young men & young women.

[georgiagrl]

08:33 PM on 04/02/2012

You are so right. I've been looking for a "different"group that I can join to help out. the group I current volunteer with focus too much on international trafficking into the U.S. rather than what's happening within the U.S.
I hope I'll be able to contact someone here, to help out in the Black community.