A Heartbreaking Reality
Every day, there are innocent children, teens, and young men and women being victimized and forced into trafficking. This kind of exploitation does not just happen in dark alleys or remote places — it’s happening here, right now, in your community.
Sex trafficking is a complicated web of crime that often involves manipulation, coercion, and threats. Traffickers will prey on the vulnerable, often those who are in or have gone through the foster care system, and convince them that a life of exploitation is normal. Traffickers will isolate victims so they feel stuck and helpless.
This is where we come in. Through our 24/7 Mobile Teams, we meet survivors where they are at, providing support and services whether they are ready to identify as a survivor yet or not. We share the good news of Jesus and present an option for a hopeful future, full of freedom.
This is how we were able to reach Tessa.
“I Do Now”
Tessa’s* story was one of exploitation, suffering, and isolation.
One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking team met Tessa during a nine-day collaborative human trafficking sting operation with the Sheriff’s Office in Polk County, Florida. This operation ultimately led to 244 arrests and connected our experts to many potential survivors.
Tessa was one of these survivors.
Her trafficker maintained control through constant coercion and the looming threat of violence. Haunted by memories of other victims suffering physical abuse, she was forced into exploitative encounters with men who paid her trafficker, understanding that physical violence awaited her if she refused to comply. This was her past, her present, and she believed it was her future.
But everything began to change when she was pulled from her abusive situation during the human trafficking special undercover operation: “Fool Around and Find Out.” That same night, she was placed in a hotel for safety. In the quiet hours that followed, she sat there — overwhelmed, replaying what just happened, and wondering what could possibly come next.
We never left Tessa’s side. We sat with Tessa and began working with her on a plan for her future. We mobilized support immediately, making phone calls and connecting her with resources to set her on a path towards physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.
Our team connected with a shelter that was farther away so that Tessa would not have to stay in a location where her trafficker might look for her. During her intake call with the shelter, the manager asked if she had anyone in her life she could rely on for support.
Tessa took a long pause and a deep breath. Then she looked around at our team, and quietly, but confidently said…
“I do now.”
No survivor of human trafficking should ever have to walk alone — and now, Tessa doesn’t have to. Our team will continue to walk alongside Tessa on her road to healing, providing mental health counseling and helping her navigate legal matters related to her trafficking situation.
Tessa was once trapped in a cycle of abuse, living in constant fear of violence and retribution. Today, she is one more who has hope, support, and a path to freedom.
*Name and photo changed for privacy.
You Do Now
If you identify with Tessa and feel stuck in a life of exploitation—afraid that someone might enact violence, seek revenge, or exert control over you—and you feel like you have no one, know this: you do now.
One More Child is here to walk with you and help you find safety, healing, and hope. Our 24/7 Mobile Teams take a dynamic trauma-informed approach that assesses the needs of survivors and establishes a plan for emotional, physical, and mental recovery. Contact One More Child’s anti-trafficking team here or find the contact for your local Mobile Team here.
You are not alone. There is hope.
Help bring freedom to one more trafficking survivor today.