My sister Rachel Pierce is a news anchor for NBC2 in Southwest Florida. Her recent news story has made national news and even CNN called to ask to use the story my sister uncovered. It is now trending on Facebook. She covered this story and personally pursued this side of the story, as she felt it was the right thing to do. It is the story about a 15 year old girl having sex in the high school bathroom with multiple boys. It was all on video. This girl has been villified in the media. People were quick to judge her and her parents. My sister knew that there had to be more to the story. For a girl to act in this way, there is obviously an explanation. And there certainly was more to the story…

This 15 year old girl had spent the previous 2 years of her life being sex trafficked. At 13 years old she was in the world on sex slavery. At 13 years old the girl was just a child. Her mind, emotions, and psyche very impressionable. She lived in that awful, Hell of life on earth for 2 years. Her mother found her and got her out of sex slavery. She found her on a website that is often used for sex trafficking. The girl was brought back home. She was only 2 weeks into her first high school experience and normal life when this sex in the bathroom incident occurred. Why did it happen? Why did she do it? Because she spent the previous two years of her life being sex trafficked. Having sex with men all day long. Her worth to her “John” was based on the fact that she gave him physical pleasure. Her worth was tied to being used in this way. It is what she knows. She has been ingrained to think that her entire worth is tied to her sexuality.

This girl needs love, compassion, and professional help. She does not need to be vilified. She is not the villain here. Those boys on the other hand. What kind of parents raised them to think its ok to have sex in the high school bathroom?? What is their story? Obviously there is a breakdown in morality for something like this to happen. They were all teenagers. Not of consenting age.

I worked as a sexual assault counselor. I can say that sexual damage and the breakdown of that intimacy can have long term affects. Professional counseling is what a victim needs in order to heal. In this situation the healing involves this 15 year old girl learning to know and accept that her worth is not based on her sexuality. 

Here is the link to my sister Rachel’s story on NBC2.  http://www.nbc-2.com/story/32065665/humantrafficking#.V0h0KtQ8KrX

Great job Rachel on finding out the truth for the sake of this girl and helping others see that sex trafficking is a real problem with real victims.