Washington D.C., Oct 9, 2013 / 03:12 am
Although largely unrecognized, sex trafficking in the U.S. is a serious problem, and its victims needs the loving support that the Catholic Church can give, says the head of a D.C.- based ministry.
"We need to get people to pay attention to the plight of American girls," said Candace Wheeler, founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Restoration Ministries, which seeks to bring Christ's love and aid to victims of sex trafficking.
"These girls need the body of Christ, and the body of Christ needs them."
Human trafficking is a pressing problem in the United States. According to the Department of Justice, 82 percent of reported U.S. human trafficking between January 2008 and June 2010 involved sex trafficking allegations, and as many as 300,000 children are at risk of sexual exploitation each year.