And now, my hero
Rachel Lloyd
She's not famous like Snooki or Bieber. But she has scores of fans, most of whom are quietly grateful. She's a well-known expert on sex-trafficking and, specifically, the sexual exploitation of children. This
disgusting multi-billion dollar industry remains the fastest growing industry in the world, reaping
more dollars than Starbucks, Nike, and Google combined. Teens and young women
(and a very small portion of males) are seduced into sex trafficking – through craigslist,
at bus depots, shopping malls, parks…down the street from you and me. Human sex
trafficking isn’t only a third-world problem. It's worldwide, and it’s striking
in staggering numbers. I was fortunate enough to attend a training by her. Halfway through the class, Rachel Lloyd said that she herself had escaped from life as a victim; she was a sex slave. Not only did Rachel survive horrifying brutalities, she founded a non-profit, GEMS (Girls' Educational and Mentoring Services) to help other victims of commercial sexual exploitation. A young woman in her early twenties then, Rachel had no money or concept of how to run a non-profit. She had the drive, though, along with personal insights and great compassion. Rachel speaks with sensitivity, eloquence, and exceptional competence. She also authored a powerful book, Girls Like Us.
GEMS has helped hundreds of female victims of sex trafficking. Rachel Lloyd was named one of the 50 Women Who Change the World and one of 100 Women Who Shape New York. She’s my hero. On a fun little side note, I sent Rachael a message through facebook to tell her this. She wrote back, thanking me for the lovely start to her morning. The fact that she wrote back attests to her heroism, as far as I’m concerned. True heroes are above the rest of us. They just don’t think they are. Thank you, Rachel, for your heroism.
To view Rachel Lloyd on TedTalks, go here.
Thank
you, JL, for this wonderfully unique and inspiring blogfest.
Much success with Saving Sam!
An articulate woman with an interesting accent. Is she English?
ReplyDeleteI can see why she would be your heroes. We need more like her to tackle these terrible issues.
ReplyDelete*Hero*, not heroes. :)
ReplyDeleteOh wow, she was herself a victim? That would certainly give her the drive. What a blessing you got to meet her.
ReplyDeleteThis lady Rachel who I'd never heard of before now is more than worthy of being called a hero, within a minute of reading about her I am inspired and awestruck by the effort that she puts in to fighting against one of the sickest things that plagues our society, thank you so much Rachel.
ReplyDeleteShe most certainly does sound like a hero indeed.
ReplyDeleteOur experiences make us stronger, and she took hers to another level by drawing awareness to the problem. May she continue to fight and inspire.
ReplyDeleteA hero in every meaning of the word. Damn sickos out there need to be dropped in a deep dark hole
ReplyDeleteI, also, hadn't heard of Rachel but she sounds amazing. Someone that has gone through what she has and come out the other side to help and inspire others. That is the epitome of a hero for sure. WOW...really WOW.
ReplyDeleteThat's the stuff that heroes are made of. Good for her. I wish the world had more of people like her in it.
ReplyDeleteA very fitting hero. So few of us are willing to try to change the world.
ReplyDeleteI am hearing more and more about sex trafficking. Since this is such A HUGE ISSUE I am glad that people are waking up to this problem. As you say, it isn't just a third world problem. It's a global problem. It can happen ANYWHERE.
ReplyDeleteShe is a hero.
Quite an admirable lady and an impressive survivor.
ReplyDeleteRobyn,
ReplyDeleteI must stop this. I'm late to every party on the internet. :) So glad you could participate and I'm more than impressed with your hero. It's easy to hide our pain, ignore what we've been through and stay silent. Rachel has done a lot more than so many of us will ever do to help ourselves and others.
Thanks so much for sharing this with us.
Hi Robyn,
ReplyDeleteA timely choice for your hero. Not only can she sadly know of the horror, she will be very aware of the recent cases of alleged trafficking in Italy and Ireland.
Take care, Robyn.
Gary x
She sounds like an incredible person! :)
ReplyDeleteYou had me with "she's not...like Snooki or Beiber."
ReplyDeleteshe does seem cool - and who wants to be famous like Snooki or Biebs..xo
ReplyDeleteI so admire this sort of heroic figure. So much is achieved through their courage. Great choice.
ReplyDeleteSuch a brave woman to be able to talk about the horrors and help others in a similar situation.
ReplyDeleteMore money than Starbucks, Nike, and Google combined? That's just disgusting. Kudos to Rachel for what she's doing. A lot of people say things like, "Oh, my dad is my hero because he's, like, a great guy," but this woman is a true hero.
ReplyDeleteThanks for lifting up Rachel as your hero so we could learn about her and this horrible crime of sex trafficking. Truly hero worthy!
ReplyDeleteRachel Lloyd is a fighter and survivor... a true heroine... especially in these times where the word hero tends to be overused.
ReplyDeleteI think that human trafficking has replaced drug trafficking as the no#1 fastest growing criminal activity...
Thank you for sharing!
GB, yes, she's from Britain. Very good. I like the British accent.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, yes it has.
Thank you, all. I appreciate your words and feedback. I'm fortunate to have been trained by Rachel about this horrifying industry, that I was completely naive to.
Be aware. Help spread the word.
Take care, keep faith and a stash of fair trade chocolate,
xoRobyn
Such an admirable hero. Great choice.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Joy on your release.
Nas
Thank you Rachel for all you do for the world! I can see why you say she is a hero :)
ReplyDeleteWow. Amazing stories, both. I had no idea the sex trafficking problem had grown so widespread - and profitable.
ReplyDeleteShe sounds like she's doing great work. No wonder she's your hero!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea how rampant this horror was. God bless her for all she does. You chose your hero wisely, Robyn.
ReplyDeleteI really admire her strength and courage in continuing to fight the fight and bring awareness to others. Rachel truly is a remarkable hero. Congrats to Joy!
ReplyDeleteJulie
It sounds like Rachel has done a lot of great work!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great tribute this post is to Rachel Lloyd, someone who was for sure a hero to so many people.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this information!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Robyn!!
What a great hero you've chosen. Her life was a tragedy but she rebounded and succeeded. It's wonderful she's helping so many people now. It's really a shameful and terrible crime. But I think gov't agencies have been trying to do more. I remember reading about a great national sting operation that happened recently. Let's hope they do more of that.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspirational woman! She is definitely a hero.
ReplyDeleteWell done Robyn. must have been amazing to listen to her.
ReplyDeleteThere have been some good films on this subject too. Lilya 4 ever is a good one. A swedish film about a young girl. Born into Brothels is a very good documentary.
here is a great list of films and documentarys.
http://www.ungift.org/knowledgehub/media/films.html
Thanks, Anthony, for the information. That's really helpful.
ReplyDelete