Keep Calm and Beat H.E.A.T.

All funds raised through this project will go to underwrite the 2nd Annual "Keep Calm and Beat H.E.A.T. Rocking & Rally" and directly to assist victims of human exploitation and trafficking (HEAT).

Please join us at our event later this month.

WHEN: Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 

TIME: 9 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS: 

• During the day, U.S. Representative Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez, Senator Lou Correa, Senator Mimi Walters, and Assemblyman Donald Wagner will discuss the legislative impact of human trafficking 
• A rock concert featuring Stan Frazier and Murphy Karges of Sugar Ray and other musicians from Orange County who have donated their time 
• Meet with over 20 nonprofit groups like Community Service Programs, Inc., the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, Salvation Army, International Justice Mission, and the United Nations Association of Orange County to learn how to get involved to end trafficking now
• Food trucks 

Click here to view our sponsors for the event. 

Facts

• Human trafficking is the nation's second most profitable criminal enterprise, which nets approximately $32 billion a year 
• One defendant made over $25,000 by enslaving a 16-year-old girl in just two weeks in Orange County 
• One in three female juvenile runaways will be contacted by a "pimp," or an exploiter, within 48 hours of running. Pimps recruit their victims in a variety of environments such as in the mall, through family and friends, via social media, and even in group homes, foster care, and juvenile detention centers
• 100,000 minors are exploited in prostitution nationally 
• California is the fourth largest destination site for human traffickers in the nation 
• The youngest reported victim of sex trafficking in California is a 6-year-old girl, while the average age of when a victim is first trafficked is 12-14 

"We cannot rely upon the silenced to tell us they are suffering." - Hanan Ashrawi

Yes, It Happens In Orange County And The United States

72 percent of all victims of human trafficking are American citizens. There have been over 350 reported cases of human trafficking in Orange County in the past 10 years. The Orange County District Attorney's Office (OCDA) and the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF) are committed to fighting against this injustice to end trafficking now. 

Since the inception of the OCDA HEAT Unit in 2013, 56 defendants have been convicted and many of them have been sent to prison, including for life terms. 

"Career criminals and gang members have decided that exploiting humans is cheaper and safer than trafficking drugs and guns. A typical modern-day slave owner is Berneal Holman, who was convicted of pandering a 16-year-old victim in Orange County. Before he perpetrated this crime, he had previously attempted to rape a 10-year-old girl and tried to use a 13-year-old girl to turn tricks on the 10-year-old. Like the slaves of the past before they were emancipated, modern-day sex slaves are branded with tattoos of their owner’s names. They are being bullied and beaten into selling their bodies, some over 10 times a day, and required to give the trafficker 100 percent of their earnings." - District Attorney Tony Rackauckas 

Your Support Publicizes The Evils Of Human Exploitation And Trafficking And Restores Lives And Rescues Children

In 2013, a defendant contacted 17-year-old Amber Doe on Facebook and maintained a long distance relationship with her. The defendant then met with Amber Doe and used force and fear to induce her to work for him and engage in commercial sex. The defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced for human trafficking as a result of the hard work of the OCHTTF and the OCDA.

Through cooperation from and collaboration with the juvenile court judge presiding over this case, Orange County Social Services, Anaheim Police Department, OCHTTF, and OCDA, Amber Doe was brought to a nonprofit facility for restoration. 

Now, Amber Doe is thriving and is about to graduate from high school. She wants to become a victim advocate and is planning to attend law school one day. 

"My priorities are now in order and I know what I want and need in life," says Amber Doe. "I appreciate all of the people who have walked this path with me and did everything in their power to make sure I was okay." 

It takes about $3,000 to $4,000 a month to provide housing and counseling services for rescued victims, like Amber Doe, who are on the road to recovery. Your donation will go towards this effort to restore lives.