GUEST BIO
Kristy Childs: The Fight Against Sex Trafficking
By
The 700 Club
CBN.com - Kristy Child’s entered the sex industry at twelve years old. “It was a violent world,” says Childs. “I was exploited.” Childs says women and children are looked at as the criminals, while the men buying the sex often only get a slap on the wrist. “Sometimes these men are told that they can go home without any repercussions if they tell the police what was going on, while the women are left to be arrested.” Many women fall prey to the control of pimps because they need food and shelter. They are in survival mode and the demand is what drives this industry.
Like Childs, many children enter into the sex industry as young as twelve years old. “The pimps prey on vulnerable children,” says Childs. “They target locations where children hang out and learn the weakness of a child. Then they fill an emotional need that the child may be lacking at home.” Parents need to educate their children. “Some parents don’t want their children to know that the sex industry exists, but knowledge is power and we need to protect our kids.”
At age 36, Childs got out of the industry after one sound changed her life… the sound of her son’s heartbeat. Childs attempted to abort her son twice but she just couldn’t do it. After the threat of a potential miscarriage, doctors performed a DNC where she heard the heartbeat of her son. It was then she decided against the abortion. She had an experience with God on the table. “God told me to keep my son and he would get me out of the lifestyle,” says Childs. “I walked out of there that day free from drugs, free from depression and free from the bondage of the industry. God provided for me. God took care of me.”
Childs now helps others that are trapped in the lifestyle. Childs is the founder of Veronica’s Voice, an organization that ministers to and helps women and children in the sex industry. Veronica’s Voice is named in remembrance of Veronica April Neverdusky. Veronica was 21 years old in 1993 when she was found murdered in Penn Valley Park. She was the mother of three young children. The case remained unsolved until an arrest was made in March of 2007. Kristy Childs dedicates her work to women and girls caught in commercial sexual exploitation who are without voices.
Veronica’s Voice is Kansas City's only recovery program dedicated solely to victims of prostitution and commercial sexual exploitation. The ability to leave a life of prostitution, drug addiction, and violence, and transition to a new life, free from these abuses, is difficult. The overall goal of Veronica’s Voice is to offer compassionate and non-judgmental counseling and services through peer, survivor-ran services. Veronica’s Voice offers individuals who are sexually exploited an opportunity to be educated and empowered to take back their lives.
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