Sex trafficking? What does that have to do with Oakton’s Stepping Stones Club?

The Stepping Stone’s club has been an active member in the community in raising awareness for sex trafficking. They have been in charge of the awareness days that have occasionally been at Oakton, such as having the students and staff wear a specific color, as well as handing out the bracelets and lollipops with facts about human trafficking in order to raise awareness. Additionally, they have put the hotline number for Just Ask in all the bathrooms. This way, if people know anyone dealing with the serious issue of human trafficking, they have a number to contact. They have also tried to raise awareness by placing posters all around the school. In other words, the Stepping Stones club tries to spread awareness and help victims of sex trafficking.

What people may not realize is how common sex trafficking is. According to Yenni Tran, a sophomore officer for the club, “The age of middle schoolers and high schoolers is the age of lots of the sex trafficking victims. A lot of people think that it never happens, when really it does and it’s a pressing issue.” According to Just Ask Prevention, the definition of teen sex trafficking is, “the act of manipulating or forcing anyone under the age of 18 to engage in a sexual act in exchange for anything of value (money, drugs, shelter, food, clothes, etc.)”.  According to FBI, the sex trafficking of teens is the second fastest growing crimes in the US. The FBI also notes that Northern Virginia has become one of the top teen trafficking venues in the nation.

The Stepping Stones club works with other groups in the area to raise awareness for human trafficking. The club tries to connect with other groups also fighting sex trafficking like the human trafficking club at West Springfield and working with the Just Ask Prevention Program.  They also are in contact with Detective Woolf, who is in charge of the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force.

For the future, the Stepping Stones club is working on having Detective Woolf come to Oakton to speak to everyone about human trafficking because it is such a serious issue. Additionally, they are hoping to have the opportunity to go to middle schools and talk to both parents and students about this issue. According to Tran, “We are really going to try to reach out the adults; because if they don’t know it’s a problem their kids won’t know it’s a problem.”