GET HELP NOW: National Human Trafficking Hotline - (888) 373-7888
or text HELP to 233733 For local support call 24hr hotline (800) 439-6507
Our Vision
Every human life is a treasure created by God with a purpose. Treasured Life Initiative is dedicated to promoting a culture in which every life is valued and where human trafficking or sexual exploitation no longer exits.
Our Mission
We are a faith-based outreach devoted to seeing an end to human trafficking or sexual exploitation on Cape Cod by raising awareness and promoting prevention. We call upon the church to “love our neighbors” who are victims and survivors of this injustice. We support local and state agencies in the anti-trafficking movement. We assist survivors of any age, race, religion, ethnicity, sex or gender orientation on their journey to healing and freedom.
What We Do
We work to victoriously fight sex-trafficking through:
Awareness: Making youth and adults aware of the reality and dangers of sex-trafficking on Cape Cod with online awareness and understanding trafficking education through in-person workshops and Lunch ‘n Learns.
Training: Directing TLI’s team and safe house counselors to training resources for Human and Sex-Trafficking and Trauma-Informed Approach Care. Joining health practitioners, law enforcement, educators, and professional service organizations in acquiring this training.
Restoration: TLI is focusing on emergency housing, a short-term Safe House and a long-term transition house for Cape Cod. Our counseling team is acquiring training in order to prepare for the opening of the Safe House. We are collaborating with law enforcement in their survivor exit strategies and with knowledgeable service providers for survivor healing and restoration.
Demand Reduction: No Demand = No Buyer! TLI collaborates with law enforcement and through education and awareness to apply appropriate and effective means to reduce demand.
Policy and Legislation: Collaborating with policy-makers and first responders for just law and policy for survivors of sex-trafficking.
“Behind everything that is put on the face of a trafficking survivor, what they are really like is human. When you strip everything down, they’re not a bad person, they’re are not a perpetrator, they’re not a delinquent. They are not somebody who has chosen this life. ”
-
Human trafficking victims can be of any age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality immigration status, cultural background, religion, socio-economic class and education attainment level.
What is Sex-trafficking? When someone uses force. fraud or coercion to cause a commercial sex act. These would include prostitution, pornography or sexual performance done in exchange for and item of value, money, drugs, etc.
Whoever commits the crime of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude upon a person under 18 years of age shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life or any term of years, but not less than 5 years.
Each year 100,000-300,000 American children are at risk of being trafficked for commercial sex in the US. (US Dept of Justice)
In 2023 the Cyber Tipline reports increased to 29.3 Million (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) That’s 80,000 reports a day for potential child abuse.
The average age a girl enters the commercial sex trade is 12-14 years old. For boys it is 11-13 years old.(National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
Up to 95% have a history of sexual abuse. (Melissa Farley, Prostitution and Sexual Violence Psychiatric Times)
89% of women in prostitution want to escape but feel they have no other means of survival. (Scientific Journal of Trauma Practice)
In some cases children may be born into sex-trafficking or be forced into it as a toddler. Sex-trafficking of those younger than 10 years old when they entered into “the life” is perpetrated almost exclusively by family members, often a father or step-father. (Thorne.org)
To date in 2023 Childrens Cove has reported 45 cases of child sexual exploitation on Cape Cod.
Studies consistently report a high percentage of child sex-trafficking victims have been involved in the child welfare system. (Child Welfare Information Gateway)
From January-December 2020, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children experienced 97.5% increase in online enticement reports versus the same time period in 2019.
-
Adult sex-trafficking and child sex trafficking are built on the economic principle of supply and demand. Buyers who are willing to pay for commercial sex acts with children make the market profitable. Traffickers will seek to capitalize on this market by manipulating and luring youth to meet the demand of buyers. Find out the tactics these traffickers use and warning signs to look for.
General Warning Signs with Children