Dear Editor:

My name is Emma Gordillo, and I am currently a junior attending Downey High School. As a resident of Downey for almost all my life, seeing the increasing amount of news about human trafficking in California is deeply concerning. Our community should have the same — if not more— amount of involvement with this issue as the government does. It’s up to us to keep our streets safe.

Last month I attended a Stop the Trafficking meeting at my school with a guest speaker being a young lady who had been sex trafficked for about 10 years. She spoke about her experience of being a student during the day and on the streets at night. A student during the day, and on the streets at night. How many of our students are in this situation? How do we know who is in this situation? What can we do to help?

According to Jim Carson—a program manager for more than 20 years at the Orangewood Children’s Foundation—knowledge is key. We can have a guess at who might be in this situation based on warning signs. If a student is suddenly very tired every day, has bruises, comes to school wearing high-end brands, is very depressed, and has a much older significant other, there should be some concern. While it should be noted that these are not definite signs, if someone you know shows these symptoms, it does not hurt to ask if they’re okay.

As for knowing how many students are in this situation, we really don’t know. Human trafficking runs deep. Just one month ago, 500 people were arrested for being involved in sex trafficking. In Los Angeles. Less than an hour away from our city 500 people were arrested and 87 victims were rescued—11 of those victims being minors. Seeing a big case like this discovered raises alarms in communities like ours. The sad truth is, we most likely have residents in this situation.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, California has the highest rate of human trafficking in the United States as of 2019, with more than 700 cases reported. The first step in our safety is being aware. Aware of our surroundings so as to not fall into the traps that human traffickers lay (pestering you, asking for help or leading you to a different area). Aware of warning signs in our neighbors, students, friends, peers, and relatives so as to reach out when they seem to be in need of help. And aware of organizations like Orangewood who can help the people in these situations. When we are aware, we can help.

Remember: “It is forgivable to say nothing out of ignorance; it’s inexcusable to remain silent once awareness dawns.” - Joshua Ferris

Emma Gordillo
Downey