District Attorney Supports Human Trafficking Program

District Attorney Provides $5,000 to Help Victims of Human Trafficking Asset Forfeiture Funding Used to Support STARS Program District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced today that her office is providing $5,000 in asset forfeiture funding to the San Diego Youth ServicesS.T.A.R.S Program for the prevention of the commercial exploitation of children.S.T.A.R.S (Surviving Together, Achieving and Reaching for Success), is a program for teen girls between the ages of 12 and 17 who are involved with commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking. 

S.T.A.R.S provides support to empower youth to escape sexual exploitation by developing their inner strengths, building a sense of community and supporting their reintegration into mainstream society. “Fighting human trafficking is a priority for our office and by partnering with organizations like San Diego Youth Services, we help support critical services available to the increasing number of human trafficking victims in our county,” DA Dumanis said.

In San Diego and Imperial counties, law enforcement has seen a 600 percent increase in human trafficking cases in the last five years – from just a few to several dozen cases, with scores of defendants charged.  Unfortunately, many of these cases involve the sex trafficking of children. According to the FBI, San Diego is among the 13 most active child sex trafficking areas in the nation. The average age of youth who are sexually exploited is between 12 and 17. Commercial sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse by adults in which sexual services are exchanged for money, goods or services to the child or a third person.  Exploitation includes prostitution, pornography or stripping and is a form of modern day slavery. "These funds not only support the mission of San Diego Youth Services, but it also sends a message to our clients that they are valued and that the community is here to support them in their journey of survivorship,” said Walter Philips, CEO of San Diego Youth Services. “Receiving the $5,000 dollars provides S.T.A.R.S. with the opportunity to help more victims of commercial sexual exploitation regain control of their lives and reach their highest potential."

The San Diego District Attorney’s Office is fighting human trafficking on three fronts. They include aggressive prosecution through our office’s Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking Division; collaboration with law enforcement partners through various task forces; and through community engagement and education. Asset forfeiture funding ismoney seized from criminals and distributed to various organizations by law enforcement for crime prevention and other programs.