Countless young people across the United States are being swept into the pipeline between foster care and sex trafficking every year, and their stories are heartbreaking.
In the fall edition of the Children’s Rights newsletter, Notes From the Field, we feature the story of Crystal, who grew up in state care and was coerced into the sex trade at 18. “There were times when I knew if I wasn’t going to do it, I would get beaten, if I wasn’t going to do it, I would go hungry,” she says. Crystal shares her devastating experiences – and remarkable path to success – in CR’s In Focus feature, “Foster Youth Fall Prey to Traffickers.”
Also be sure to check out coverage of our Ninth Annual Benefit, where we honored Grammy-Award winning artist and Compound Foundation founder Shaffer “Ne-Yo” Smith, human rights activist Molly Gochman, and attorney Jared Bobrow of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, for their outstanding efforts to make a difference for children.
This issue also includes updates on our advocacy in Connecticut, Atlanta, and Tennessee, as well as our reform effort in Massachusetts, where CR recently presented oral arguments to a panel of judges at the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of all children in state care.