San Diego is a hot spot for sex trafficking. Our region ranks 13th in the country, with up to 8,000 victims a year, according to the FBI. That’s not including unreported cases which, according to experts, often involve boys.
“[That’s] because other men make fun of you or deny that there was any assault at all because they will say that a male can't be assaulted,” said Forrest Lang.
Lang is a survivor of sex trafficking. He became a victim at age 12 when he was removed from his abusive home and placed in foster care.
“I thought that life was going to be a lot better without getting hit, having enough food to eat, being in a stable home, and in my mind, as a child, I didn't understand that being sexually exploited by that person was something that was dark and not very stable,” said Lang. “All I saw was the attention that I needed.”
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He was abused for years. Then at age 16, Lang ran away and lived on the streets until he became eligible to join the Navy. He continued to stay silent for years until he felt he couldn’t take it anymore.
“I decided to be vocal about what happened to me, that I am a survivor of child sexual violence when I entered recovery for PTSD as a combat veteran because I saw how many other combat veterans who were suicidal had those same things happen to them as a child and they just stuffed it and buried it as I did,” said Lang.
A study by John Jay College of Criminal Justice estimates that as many as 50% of the commercially sexually exploited children in the U.S. are boys.
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And the average age of victims has decreased since COVID-19, according to the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force.
In an effort to change the public's perception of who is vulnerable, the San Diego D.A.’s office has kicked off an awareness campaign.
“I’m grateful that people are willing to take a look at that because it's a really uncomfortable package,” said Lang. “It's easy just to shut down if we even mention it because it feels so horrible.”
Lang hopes the campaign not only helps save people from human trafficking but also encourages victims to seek help.
“The biggest message I have is, ‘You’re not alone, you’re not alone, it happened to me too,'” said Lang.
The D.A.’s office is hosting a free “Human Trafficking 101” event on Jan. 10 that will include a presentation on how to identify the signs of human trafficking, report it and find resources for the victims. The event is scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 1050 Los Vallecitos Boulevard in San Marcos.
