Senior Jenna Michalski recently raised money for and ran in the Race for Refuge, a 5K, to support victims of sex trafficking.
“I raised over $400,” Michalski said. The race was sponsored by an organization called the Covering House, which provides therapeutic housing, community programs and other services in order to educate people about sex trafficking.
“Not a lot of people know about it,” Michalski said.
Michalski said how scary it can be for those pushed into the sex trade: “It’s girls our age being forced into it.”
She also talked about how prevalent sex trafficking is in our country.
“It’s happening right in our backyard,” Michalski said. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there are up to 300,000 child prostitutes in the United States. The St. Louis area is one of the hotspots.
Michalski also mentioned how people discuss the issue: “I think it’s a very taboo thing to talk about.”
Michalski talked about how to help too.
“A lot of organizations are just looking to get their name out,” she said. She also said that there is a list of items on their webpage that the organization is looking for.
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Ethan Weihl – News EditorThis is news editor Ethan Weihl’s first year on ECHO staff. He is excited to begin his work on the ECHO. He has not decided on college yet but, he wants to major in Political Science and Journalism. |
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