StolenYouth

About StolenYouth

StolenYouth is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to prevent child sexual exploitation and trafficking through education, advocacy, and empowerment. Founded in 2012, StolenYouth began by raising awareness of child sex trafficking and granting funds to frontline organizations providing support services. Learning from that experience, we identified a unique role in providing accessible, scalable educational resources to communities and caregivers around children and youth. Research shows that simply providing youth with information is not effective. Our approach incorporates skills-building, including those needed to form healthy relationships and respect for human rights, giving young people tools to respond to potential dangers or exploitative situations. This includes internet safety, given the growing problem of grooming, recruitment, and exploitation through online technology. We equip adults with the resources and knowledge they need to protect and guide children and youth. In addition to providing primary prevention through education, we invest in secondary and tertiary prevention through our survivor support funds. These funds aim to stabilize survivors in the early stages of exiting exploitation and empower them to build productive new lives. Child sex trafficking, as defined by the Department of Justice, “refers to the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a minor for the purpose of a commercial sex act.” This exploitation thrives on racism and inequality. In Seattle-King County where we're based, 56 percent of trafficked youth are children of color, while 73 percent of buyers are white. Our work addresses intersecting issues like homelessness, addiction, and racial disparities that leave youth vulnerable. We are survivor-led and survivor-informed, embedding the insights of those with lived experience into our programs and operations.

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