Rotary Club of Temecula Foundation

The Rotary Club of Temecula, Foundation has over 90 members, who each year focus their efforts on charitable programs that will affect our community and the world. We are a 100% volunteer group and 100% of the proceeds from this Give Big campaign will be used to combat human trafficking through the support of Operation SafeHouse.

Human trafficking is a lucrative industry, representing an estimated $33 billion per year in international trade. Human trafficking is the trade in humans, most commonly for the purpose of sexual slavery, forced labor or for the extraction of organs or tissues, including surrogacy and ova removal. Trafficking involves coercion or some type of physical threat and victims being held against their will and forced to work. Victims' identity documents are taken away from them, so they are completely dependent upon their abusers. Trafficking affects us all by fostering criminal activity in our neighborhoods. This includes the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The average age for a young girl to enter into prostitution in Riverside County is 12 years old. In addition to the blight of commercial sex trafficking, our region faces the challenges of gangs and trafficking, labor trafficking, agricultural trafficking and migrant trafficking. Each type of trafficking is different, but each undermines the health and strength of our neighborhoods. California is one of the three states with the most human trafficking, with victims smuggled from around the world, as well as locally. Riverside County is especially affected as we are positioned right at the crossroads of some major trafficking corridors. Perhaps the biggest challenge we are facing here is one of denial. It is convenient to ignore the fact that human trafficking exists in Riverside County; but denying that fact will not make it go away.

Runaway youth are the most vulnerable, but victims include men, women and children from all races and backgrounds. California's regional anti-human trafficking task forces employ a comprehensive, victim-centered approach and are made up of law enforcement and local, state, and federal prosecutors, as well as other governmental leaders and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) like the Rotary Club of Temecula, Foundation. Operation SafeHouse is a shelter in Riverside for homeless and runaway teens. Gaining victims trust is difficult, as the victims have been manipulated through fear.  It may take two years before anyone trying to help hears the whole story, because victims have been through so much psychological trauma. Victims have become dependent on their abusers; the love they come to know is a love that beats them. Victims from other countries expect police here to be corrupt, like many in their countries, so going to the police is not option. That is why it is of paramount importance that these victims have a safe haven, like Operation SafeHouse. The local anti-human trafficking task force working through the Million Kids campaign helps to illuminate the problems to schools, churches and other places where youth congregate.