When children are forced into sexual servitude in the movies, there’s usually a Hollywood thrill factor—a gripping kidnapping and rescuing.
The real-life situation, however, is far more manipulative and grim.
“[Traffickers are] very adept at finding the most vulnerable children who have low self-esteem, who are often-times poor and have often been sexually abused already at home,” said Dr. Cassandra Ma, executive director of the non-profit intervention agency Reclaim 13.
And because this is how they already view adult/child relationships, Ma added, it’s easier to manipulate them.
Ma and her organization have been helping kids recover from this kind of trauma since opening their Reclaim 13 office three years ago in Downers Grove.
They hope to raise $1.5-million Oct. 3 at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center to furnish and fully prepare a donated home capable of housing 10 kids ages 13 to 21. In addition to a formal, black-tie-optional dinner, the event will feature live music and dancing, silent and live auctions and a paddle raise. Prizes include Blackhawks tickets, exciting travel destinations and the opportunity to sail on the America’s Cup Yacht “Stars and Stripes USA 11.”
The organization aims to open the home in November, complete with educational and therapeutic programs in place.
Though the statistics are probably underreported, Ma said, most of the 100,000 children that are trafficked in the United States each year are manipulated into prostitution in its various forms.
The goal of Reclaim 13—the age most of these exploited kids enter the sex industry—is to help the kids move toward eventual independence and reclaim their right to be a child.
“We want them to feel safe, loved and free from harm, to be able to play and have fun and laugh and do all the things most people want for their kids,” she said.
Reclaim 13 will hold its inaugural Cherish the Dream gala at 6 p.m. on at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center, 3500 Midwest Road, Oak Brook. Tickets are $150 per person and must be purchased in advance. For more information, visit reclaim13.org.