Partnership To End Human Trafficking featured article

FINDING HER VOICE

In Honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, PEHT hosted an event called Finding Her Voice on January 30 at First Presbyterian Church in Greenwich. Over 100 people came to hear an engaging panel discussion about transformation and hope in the aftermath of sex trafficking. The panel was composed of survivors of sex trafficking and law enforcement working to combat trafficking in Connecticut. Those who came were encouraged to put the human trafficking hotline, 1-888-373-7888, and text 2337333 in their phones so that they, too, can be eyes and ears of protection and safety in their communities. We thank all those who participated in the event!

If you think we're immune to HUMAN TRAFFICKING consider this: One of the most downloaded pornographic photos in the world was taken of an eight-year old RIGHT HERE IN GREENWICH.

Krishna Patel, a former federal prosecutor in Connecticut, and Rod Khattabi, a former special agent based in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s New Haven office, are two of the state’s leading authorities on human trafficking. They are sitting in the tea pavilion at Grace Farms in New Canaan, talking about trafficking cases they have worked here in leafy, affluent Fairfield County; they are talking about pimps, johns and assorted creeps; about massage parlors, strip bars and nail salons; about assignations between Jeffrey Epstein-aged men and girls as young as twelve at hotels and motels in our Gold Coast towns. “This happens in Greenwich,” Patel says. “It happens in Fairfield. It happens in Westport and in all of these towns.” Read more here.

Our Vision

PEHT was envisioned by a passionate group of modern-day abolitionists in New York and Connecticut who became aware of the atrocities of forced labor and sex trafficking, both abroad and in their own backyard. They sought a way to offer recovery, stability and economic freedom to those seeking a way out of a life of bondage through a long term residential recovery program and dynamic social enterprise.

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Our Mission

To empower survivors with a path toward healing and independence through a long term residential recovery program and employment in our pet social enterprise.

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How Can You Help? Love Your Pet.

Our pet retail initiative is founded upon the idea that LOVE is the most powerful agent for change in the world. 100% of net profits from the sale of our handcrafted products support the ongoing work of PEHT ’s charitable activities with human trafficking survivors.

“I believe the greatest force for change in a dark world is love. It is our hope that when customers purchase our products, they will sense that a little more love has penetrated the darkness. LOVE YOUR PET. CHANGE THE WORLD.” - Elizabeth Koldyke Boolbol, Founder PEHT

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Success!

We are overwhelmed with gratitude for your support of our mission to invest in the wellness and restoration of survivors of sex trafficking. Our Build Her Home event on May 3rd was an unforgettable evening, with more than 200 attendees, dozens of volunteers, delicious food generously donated by Country House Cuisine, incredible music by Katie Nelson and colleagues, and our deeply moving speakers Rod Khattabi and Regina Mullins.

Thanks to you we surpassed our financial goal for the evening, raising more than $150,000. We also realized our dream of uniting churches in our area to join us in this critical fight for justice.

And now, the real work begins as we roll up our sleeves and fulfill our promise to BUILD HER HOME. In the coming months, we will share with you our progress as we identify the residence and hire our Program Director.

As we move forward, our goal is to raise a total of $300,000 to meet our annual operating budget. For those of you who were unable to join us, we would be grateful if you would consider a financial gift to support this important work. We thank you for partnering with us, testifying that indeed Love Changes Everything, and we welcome the opportunity to meet with you and share our vision.

MILLION

VICTIMS OF
HUMAN
TRAFFICKING
GLOBALLY

PERCENT

OF THOSE
TRAFFICKED
VICTIMS ARE
WOMEN

MILLION

TRAPPED
IN THE
SEX TRADE
GLOBALLY

YEARS

AVERAGE AGE
A TEEN
ENTERS THE
SEX TRADE

Startling Facts

It is estimated that the business of Human Trafficking exceeds $150 billion annually, $99 billion coming from the sex trafficking industry alone. It is second largest and fastest growing illegal business in the world.

According to the U.S Department of State’s statistics, there are approximately 100,000 children and youth sold for sex in the United States each year, with an average age of 14 years old. Another 244,000 American children at risk for sex trafficking annually.

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center estimates 70 percent of human trafficking incidents occur at truck stops where predatory pimps make contact with desperate girls running from intolerable home lives, thus beginning the journey into human sex bondage.

Interstate 95 is the key piece of geography for initial contact , connecting such major cities as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and points south. Along I95 are the rest stops, truck stops, and bus stations that are prime locations for exploitation.