Florida Abolitionist...
Tiffany* is a sweet teenager filled with hope for her
future. However, you would not expect this if you knew
what she has been through. A couple years ago she
met a woman who pretended to be her friend. This older
woman was extremely kind to Tiffany. She bought her
things and acted like a true friend by caring for her, but it
was all a pretense to earn Tiffany’s trust.
After three short weeks, she introduced Tiffany to a street
gang that raped, drugged, and trafficked her. They held
her hostage in 2 disgusting homes, keeping her locked
in a bathroom when she was not being abused. In her
captivity, they took pictures of her and posted them on
websites to sexually exploit her.
For two weeks, Tiffany was raped repeatedly by multiple
commercial sex customers. Every penny the customers
paid went directly to the gang leader who controlled
her. Thankfully, law enforcement came to her aid and
brought her out of her misery but her recovery was just
the beginning of her journey to complete healing and
freedom. Florida Abolitionist’s victim services program
was there from the start. Immediately, she received a
rescue backpack that caused her such joy it brought
her to tears. She has received placement in a residential
facility to begin to treat her substance addiction and her
psychological condition from the trauma she endured.
Over time, her wounds are healing. While the journey
has not been easy and has been met with setbacks,
she is growing and is now doing a lot better. Law
enforcement arrested Tiffany’s traffickers and justice was
served. Florida Abolitionist continued to care for Tiffany
throughout the grueling court proceedings. Upon learning
that she is a huge basketball fan, Florida Abolitionist went
to work to grant her with a gift that sh e would love - a
basketball autographed by the Orlando Magic! She also
expressed the interest in reading the Bible but didn’t have
one, so she was given one thanks to the generous donation
of a local church. These are small gestures, but Florida
Abolitionist hopes that they communicate to Tiffany that
she has value and is loved. There is nothing like the hope
seen in Tiffany’s eyes and the organization is humbled to
have played a small part in her restoration.
Now Tiffany is safe and growing while her traffickers have
been sentenced to multiple years in prison. She has hope
for tomorrow. Tiffany’s story is not uncommon. During
2016, Florida Abolitionist assisted 275 victims** of human
trafficking.
The names and faces are different, but one thing remains:
people are being exploited and sold for sex in our
communities. Globally, human trafficking is the second
largest criminal enterprise behind drug trafficking and is
estimated to be a $32 billion industry. Florida Abolitionist is
committed to rebuilding the lives of victims and preventing
the crime from taking place. As war is waged on human
trafficking, we must have an army of abolitionists - people
who will stand together to stop modern-day slavery. You
can join us by becoming an Abolitionist Partner with your
monthly donation.
Visit www.FloridaAbolitionist.org/donate today!
Don’t stop there! Give of your time. Volunteer with us
and change the world!
www.FloridaAbolitionist.org/volunteer
*Pseudonym used to protect the survivor’s identity
**verified and unverified
Volume 3 • Issue 4 | 2017 21