GIVING TUESDAY
Mezzo Allies’ mission is to bridge the gap to safety for victims of organized abuse and family controlled trafficking
what is organized abuse?
Organized abuse is defined as the abuse of a victim or victims by MULTIPLE perpetrators who are working in concert together to abuse
41% of all Human Trafficking victims report that their trafficking began with a parent or caregiver
what is family controlled human trafficking?
Family controlled trafficking occurs when a family member (a father, mother, grandparent, uncle, or aunt) or a guardian (a foster parent or intimate partner of the parent) facilitates human trafficking of a child or individual. This can include when parents or other family members allow sexual offenders to sexually abuse the victim in exchange for money, goods or services and often involves caregivers producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or “child pornography” of their children to sell, trade, or post the contents of in exchange for money or other things of value.
“if you don’t believe that it is possible for children to be sexually abused (in this way) by the men in their lives, then you don’t see the signs even when they are staring at you in the face”
— Dr. Michael Salter Scientia - Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of New South Wales, Australia