Sex Slavery: Victim Services

The Soroptimist goal is to stop sex slavery BEFORE it starts. However, currently millions of women and girls are tortured in the name of prostitution and sex slavery. Women rescued from sex slavery need a host of support and resources in order to rebuild their lives. They need legal assistance, protection from their pimps or traffickers, psychological help, education, job training, etc. Frequently, they are also in need of translators.

What is Soroptimist Doing?
Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Awards, the major program of Soroptimist International of the Americas, assists women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families by giving them the resources they need to improve their education, skills, and employment prospects. Women who have escaped sex slavery can use a Women’s Opportunity Award to assist in rebuilding their lives.

Soroptimist Club Grants for Women and Girls support local Soroptimist club projects working to improve the lives of women and girls. Many Soroptimist clubs have used these grants to assist former sex slaves in rebuilding their lives by providing education, job training and mentoring.

In addition:

• The Kenton, Ohio, club hosted a retreat to make quilts for girls living at Gracehaven shelter—a shelter for girls who have escaped sex slavery. The club also put together gift baskets for the girls with personal care and oral hygiene products, a fleece blanket, journal, and writing supplies. Additionally, some club members hand-knit hats, socks, scarves and slippers for the baskets.
• The Westminster, California, club sends holiday cards with words of encouragement to sex trafficking victims in a local shelter. Each note contains a gift card. The club has also donated $1,400 worth of grocery store gift cards and bus passes to sex trafficking survivors in Orange County who were waiting to testify against their traffickers.
• The Yamanashi-Fuyo, Japan, club works with the Don Bosco Literacy and Skills Center for Girls in Cambodia, which provides education and training for girls escaping sex trafficking.
• The Stuart, Florida, club works closely with Shared Hope and has held numerous events and fundraisers to support the Stuart Soroptimist Home of Hope in Negril, Jamaica for survivors of sex trafficking. Overall, the club raised $42,000 which was matched by Shared Hope.

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