PRESS KIT S T a T 1 Human Trafficking Is the World’S T
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LOST GIRLS ONE GIRL'S NIGHTMARE, A NATIONWIDE REALITY. PRESS KIT S T A T 1 Human trafficking is the world’s T 3rd largest criminal enterprise in S r H t the world. a a f u f S T A T 2 t m i i There are 20.9 million victims of human c s trafficking globally. 4.5 million of them k t a are trapped in forced sexual exploitation. i i n c n S T A T 3 s g It is currently the second largest international criminal activity as of 2020, reaping an estimated 32 Billion dollars in the trade of human beings (UNICEF USA). There are an estimated 100,000 child victims of sex trafficking in the United States, and 300,000 American children are at risk. The average age a child enters the commercial sex trade is 11-13 years old. A n g i e , a n i n n o c e n t 1 5 y e a r o l d , i s a b d u c t e d b y t r a f f i c k e r s f r o m h e r h o m e t o w n . W h e n s h e i s f i n a l l y r e s c u e d , s h e t r i e s t o h e a l f r o m h e r t r a u m a w h i l e c o n t e n d i n g w i t h t h e c o n t i n u e d t h r e a t t h e t r a f f i c k e r s p o s e t o h e r , h e r f a m i l y , a n d h e r f r i e n d s t i l l i n c a p t i v i t y . Hayley and Dan Morgan are a regular all-American couple, dealing with the typical problems many parents face with working long hours to provide their teenage daughters with the best education and opportunities. Never in a million years did they ever think their teenage daughter would be trafficked and their happy family life upended. This emotional drama showcases the devastatingly real problem facing parents in America today and the need to protect and educate their children about trafficking. Teenager Angie Morgan is recruited by another teenager her age, Mario, who claims to have just moved to the area and takes an interest in her love of music. When her parents don’t turn up for her school music recital, Angie accepts Mario’s invitation to meet his uncle, who she is told is established in the music business and can help her reach her goals. In the midst of what she thought was going to be a try-out of sorts, Angie is raped and abused. They threaten to show her parents a video of her rape if she tries to escape. Full of shame and fear, Angie resigns herself to her new life. As the story unfolds, we are taken through both the family’s journey of dealing with their loss, and Angie’s ways of surviving in her situation. When Angie finally escapes and is brought home, the family is faced with a very different daughter from the one they knew, and Angie is confronted with many tough choices on her journey to recovery. SYNOPSIS RECRUITMENT TECHNIQUES USED BY TRAFFICKERS F o r m a n y y e a r s , t r a f f i c k e r s r e c r u i t e d v i c t i m s t h e m s e l v e s u s i n g h i g h - p a y i n g j o b s o r m o d e l i n g o p p o r t u n i t i e s . N o w , o f t e n l e s s o b v i o u s t e c h n i q u e s a r e u s e d , s u c h a s u s i n g o t h e r t e e n a g e r s t o f o r m r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h t a r g e t e d v i c t i m s w h i c h a l l o w e a s i e r a c c e s s t o m i n o r s . O u r f i l m s e e k s t o e x p o s e t h e d a n g e r s o f t h e s e n e w d e v e l o p m e n t s b y v i s u a l l y d e m o n s t r a t i n g h o w e a s i l y A n g i e l e t s h e r g u a r d d o w n a n d f a l l s p r e y t o a y o u n g , g o o d - l o o k i n g t e e n a g e r e c r u i t e r . STRUGGLES SURVIVORS FACE I n m a n y r e a l c a s e s , t r a f f i c k e r s h a v e s o s u c c e s s f u l l y i n t i m i d a t e d t h e i r v i c t i m s w i t h v i o l e n t t h r e a t s a g a i n s t t h e i r f a m i l i e s a n d l o v e d o n e s t h a t t h e y a r e t o o a f r a i d t o s p e a k o u t a n d t e s t i f y . T h i s c r e a t e s a n u p h i l l b a t t l e f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t i n b r i n g i n g j u s t i c e . S u r v i v o r s s t r u g g l e w i t h P T S D , o n g o i n g v i o l e n t t h r e a t s f r o m t r a f f i c k e r s , d r u g a d d i c t i o n a n d w i t h d r a w a l a s a r e s u l t o f b e i n g f o r c e d t o t a k e d r u g s , o r l a c k o f a f a m i l y t o g o b a c k t o . L o s t G i r l s e x p l o r e s m a n y a s p e c t s o f t h i s a s A n g i e s t r u g g l e s w i t h f e a r , g u i l t , a n d P T S D a s s h e t r i e s t o b r i n g j u s t i c e t o t h e t r a f f i c k e r s a n d h e l p t h e o t h e r g i r l s s t i l l c a p t i v e . STRUGGLES FACED BY ORGANIZATIONS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT P o l i c e T h e f i l m i l l u s t r a t e s t h e e n o r m i t y o f t h e p r o b l e m f a c i n g u n d e r - r e s o u r c e d a n d u n d e r s t a f f e d p o l i c e u n i t s . M a n y g i r l s a r e a f r a i d o f t e s t i f y i n g i n f e a r o f v i o l e n t r e t a l i a t i o n a g a i n s t t h e m s e l v e s a n d t h e i r f a m i l i e s .