Top Lawyer, Local Nonprofit Team Up To Help Victims Of Human Trafficking
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- An alarming number of young girls are lured into human trafficking, and sometimes get caught in the criminal justice system.
The non-profit Big Brothers-Big Sisters is teaming up with the City's Chief Public Defender to create a unique mentoring program to help with the rehabilitation process.
"All of human trafficking isn't all of what we see on TV. It isn't people snatching and grabbing them and locking them up," said Keir Bradford-Gray, the city's Chief Public Defender. "Some of it is a psychological voluntary behavior where they get involved with an older man, or with the wrong people and they start to do things that they believe they need to do to get reciprocative."
The program will be based on the Big Brothers, Big Sisters mentoring model, but will focus on pairing girls with adult women, hoping to a create a bond and role model for many victims to look up to.
"We do have an army of female volunteers who want to get involved, and many times we haven't had enough female littles to match with them," said Allen.
Marcus Allen is CEO of the Independence Region and says, along with Bradford-Grey, they are working with local churches and the Salvation Army.
"Our role is to put care and compassion adult in the life of these kids, who's going to be a really well trained mentor," Allen said. "We know there is a group of young females that we are not currently working with, but can be successful with."
Bradford-Grey says many of these victims are girls in their teens, who don't have a solid support system, so they get involved with their traffickers. Often times, victims end up before a judge, after doing something illegal for their traffickers.
"What they all need in their life is that person in their life that can help them explore their true identity as they go into womanhood," she said. "I think they need it on a very genuine level, because that's what they are lacking."
Both Allen and Bradford-Grey agree, a volunteer mentoring program may be a simple rehabilitation method to help victims mend from their trauma.
"This provide connections in the community," said Bradford-Grey. "They (will) have ties and support systems now that are going to allow them to address any anxiety or issues they may have in the communities in which they came from."