NFL, Super Bowl Hosts Ignore Trafficking Survivor's Request for Help

by Amanda Kloer · 2011-01-31 06:55:00 UTC
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Last week A.H., a sex trafficking survivor who was sold near the stadium that will host the Super Bowl this weekend, wrote an open letter to the NFL and Super Bowl Host Committee, asking them to use the event to help spread awareness of the abuse she suffered. Sadly, her plea for assistance has been met with a stony silence. And with the Super Bowl just a week away, yet another year may go by that the NFL ignores the role the Super Bowl plays in sex trafficking.

In her letter, A.H. tells the NFL and Host Committee,

"I’ll never forget my first trip to Dallas/Fort Worth several years ago. It was 2006 when I was dragged there against my will by a pimp. I was forced to dance, strip and sell sex (along with five other young girls) for over a month while he pocketed the cash ($1,000-$3,000/night from each girl) and planned our next gig. I was trapped in a life I never wanted without any hope of escape."

She goes on to say that she's taken the courageous step of sharing her story publicly to help prevent other young girls from experiencing the same thing. A.H. knows the Super Bowl Host Committee and NFL can be instrumental in helping stop this systematic exploitation by endorsing Traffick911's "I'm Not Buying It" campaign and sharing campaign materials during the game. It's easy, it's painless, and it could make a huge difference for the many girls like A.H. who are trafficked for sex at the Super Bowl every year. But so far, both the NFL and the Host Committee are ignoring the request made by A.H., several anti-trafficking organizations, and over 68,000 Change.org members.

Even Dallas Cowboy Jay Ratliff has jumped on board the "I'm Not Buying It" campaign train, creating an awesome PSA about how to prevent child sex trafficking, that you can check out after the jump. But hearing the message from one of their own still hasn't been enough to move the NFL and committee.

The Super Bowl is only a week away, and time is running out. Please join the over 68,000 other Change.org members who have told the NFL and 2011 Super Bowl Host Committee that fighting child sex trafficking during the Super Bowl is important, and asked them to endorse the "I'm Not Buying It" campaign to end it.  Because whether it's one trafficking survivor or 68,000 advocates asking the question, the NFL owes an answer.

Photo credit: M Glasgow

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic

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