I read an article about a woman named Theresa Flores who was sold into sex slavery at just fifteen. She lived a normal life in the suburbs of Detroit but it was when she started getting involved with an older man that did the damage. It all started when she was a victim of a date rape caught on film. Some guys used the photos as blackmail where she ended up being a sex slave. She would be taken to multiple places and forced to have sex for hours with total strangers. Theresa is bold enough to tell her story because "now 43 and a mother living in central Ohio, Flores described her ordeal yesterday at a human-trafficking conference that attracted more than 500 people to the Vineyard Church..." (Johnson). She has turned her nightmare into a dream to help others and raise awareness for the cause.
Personally I think it is always very dangerous and somewhat stupid for young teenage girls to get involved with older men. It's more risky than just dating another high schooler. And although Theresa didn't make some smart decisions, I still don't believe anything that happened to her is her fault. It ticks me off that someone would use date rape pictures as blackmail towards such a young girl but unfortunately, it happens. Theresa is just one of many girls who have experienced sex slavery on a first hand basis. As heartbreaking as it is to listen to story after story of girls who have been deceived and stolen of their innocence, it amazes me how they can get back up and use their stumbling block as a stepping stone for others.
Johnson, Alan. "Horror of teen sex slavery not foreign woe; it's here." Columbus Dispatch (2009: n. pag. Web. 2 April 2010.
50/50 Good job.
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