Public outreach aimed at aiding sex-trafficking survivors

A preteen girl is at a middle school party when someone drops a sedative into her soda.

She wakes up the next morning with no memory of the last several hours.

Then, messages start arriving telling the girl that pictures and videos of her participating in a sex act will be shared around school, with her pastor and even her parents if she doesn’t show up to a designated location and do as told.

Suddenly the girl has found herself in the web of a sex trafficker and — amidst the distress, confusion and threats — she doesn’t know how to break free of that life.

It’s a scenario that is very familiar to Mirror Ministries team members.

One estimate shows 234 girls are trafficked each night in the Tri-Cities, with the average age of entry at 12 or 13, when kids are vulnerable and can be easily manipulated, said Executive Director Tricia MacFarlan.

The Tri-City faith-based organization has been trying to combat those numbers by offering survivors a safe place to live and counseling, along with resources for education and legal assistance.

But it takes time and money, especially given the exponential increase in the number of clients over the last year, MacFarlan said. The clients are both female and male and range in age from 14 to 44, though the majority are between 16 and 19.

Mirror Ministries hired a second human trafficking advocate in the spring to help with the 25-30 active clients.

The two women work on a “full-time-plus” schedule to offer hope, healing and mentoring to the survivors and support as they work toward recovery and ultimately success, MacFarlan said. The advocates have been known to hop on a bike for an eight-mile ride with a client after a long day of work, or watch their baby so they can attend a support group.

“They really have beat some serious odds, but the odds are not in their favor,” she said. “So that’s what we’re here for is to help balance out those odds and walk along that road of healing with them.”

They also have a longer list of more than 80 identified victims who currently don’t want support services, but frequently get a note reminding them that Mirror Ministries advocates are available when they’re ready.

Now, the organization is turning to the community for help with covering that second advocate’s salary.

There are just three days left in a crowdfunding campaign. So far, they’ve received $5,275 in pledges, which is 52 percent of the $10,000 goal.

The campaign ends at midnight Aug. 30.

MacFarlan said credit cards only will be charged if the organization meets its goal, which also makes them eligible for grants through Wheat Ridge Ministries. If that number isn’t reached, the organization will have to come up with another way to get the money.

MacFarlan, who herself works for the organization without pay, said they have a staff of three, in addition to volunteers and currently two college interns.

Mirror Ministries operates on money from the Benton County public safety tax, private donors, churches and businesses in town.

“(The advocates) do this because it is a ministry. They’re called to do it. They’re passionate about the folks they’re working with. But also, both women need money to live on, rent, gas,” she said. “They’re not overpaid, I can tell you that. But they’re pretty amazing, and I’m so thrilled with our two advocates because they just work so well with our clients.”

The Tri-Cities is a great place to live, with great people doing great things, MacFarlan said.

“But we are like everywhere else in the fact that there are always going to be other people wanting to take advantage of people, vulnerable people,” she said. “Our job as citizens in the community is to be aware. Our job as human beings is to protect.”

Borrowing the phrase, “If you see something, say something,” MacFarlan said people shouldn’t hesitate to call 911 or a county’s non-emergency dispatch number if something is off-key. Let the police investigate it since that’s their job, she said.

It is an “an act of strength and bravery” for a sex-trafficking victim to pick up a phone and ask for help, she said. That’s why Mirror Ministries wants to make sure someone always is available to answer that call.

The local Advocate Hotline – 509-221-9995 – is staffed 24/7 for victims, survivors and their friends and family.

People interested in volunteering or donating to the organization can contact 509-783-5730 or info@mirror-ministries.org, or send a message through the Mirror Ministries website or Facebook page.

This story was originally published August 27, 2017 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Public outreach aimed at aiding sex-trafficking survivors."