Responce to - Child sex trafficking in San Diego County

I just attended the first San Diego Regional CSEC & Child Sex Trafficking Council meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to establish a new regional response to CSEC (Commercial Sexual Exportation of Children).

It was heavily covered by the media and attended by law enforcement, government agencies, non-government groups and County Supervisor Dianne Jacob. Speakers included Assistant Sheriff Ed Prendergast and Deputy District Attorney Gretchen Means to name a few.

An alarming statistic is San Diego County is #8 in the nation for child sex trafficking. Child sex trafficking is now coming up on everyone's radar, which is a good thing. We are trying to move past the old school thinking that prostitution is a victim-less crime and it's no big deal. Law enforcement is coming around and recognizing that many young people in the "game" are being prostituted by pimps and gang members.

Young girls are being recruited in San Diego from shopping malls and on the internet. The most common way they are recruited is through romance. They are courted and told they are loved by these young gang members and slowly moved into a life of prostitution.

Awareness training for first responders is key but even educators are joining the cause and raising awareness in high schools and middle schools where kids are at risk.

The goal of this Council is to take the next step and organize a regional response to the problem of child sex trafficking. The next Council meeting will be held on February 17, 2011.