After school let out of a Fort Myers, Fla. high school last Tuesday, a 15-year-old girl hooked-up with as many as 25 (yes, 25) guys. According to one of the students, most of the guys were football players, CNN Wire reports. And worse? The whole thing was allegedly filmed, and images were posted online.
No charges were pressed against the school. In fact, the girl’s mother was pretty understanding given the situation—But that’s because this girl has a truly heartbreaking past. The girl in question, who, understandably, has not been named, was a victim of sex trafficking. She was first trafficked at 13 years old and was forced into sex slavery for the following two years. Her mother saved her from her captor.
The girl had only been attending South Fort Myers High School for two weeks when the bathroom incident occurred.
Megan Estrem, a victim advocate who has worked with the girl and her family, told WBBH that this girl “has been in an environment where she has been told to behave certain way, and there were severe consequences if she didn’t.” It’s not uncommon for sex trafficking victims to be subjected having sex up to 40 times daily, according to Nicole Waid, who used to be a U.S. chief assistant attorney.
Human trafficking in America is just as much a problem as it is in other parts of the world, with up to 17,500 people being trafficked yearly, according to DoSomething.org. It’s a crime that affects women and kids worldwide, with as many as up to 800,000 trafficked internationally every year. The worst part is we can encounter a victim just walking down the street, and not recognize that they are being held hostage.
A story like this is a good reminder for us all that nothing is ever really what it seems.