WAKE UP film spreads awareness about sex trafficking

On Tuesday, Newsstitched Media hit the red carpet for the Hollywood premiere of WAKE UP. Janet Craig uses the art of film making to spread awareness on the high rate of sex trafficking in our country based on true stories and experiences. In the movie, a quiet community is suddenly shaken when two women in foster care are targeted and taken by a sex trafficking ring. Wake up brings awareness to the cross section between foster care and trafficking which is significant because so many of our youth are vulnerable to being trafficked because of what brought them into the system.

The United States have some of the highest rates of trafficking in the world, with over 199,000 incidents occurring each year. Foster mother and producer Chelsea Wise believes that everyone can be a part of the solution with a little awareness and education. “This happens everywhere, and everybody can do something. Not everyone needs to be a foster mom, not everyone needs to be a movie producer, but everyone can do something” she expressed passionately.

The screening was sponsored by Raising Hope, a nonprofit organization that supports youth who are transitioning out of the foster care system. We spilled the tea with executive director Tammy Barnett and she expressed how important it is to recognize and understand what actually adds power to the industry. “Who do you want to be? A predator or a protector of children? It’s really something to think about because regardless of if you’re buying sex as a John or you're going to some sort of strip club or other adult film participation you are contributing to this industry.”

If you believe you may have information about a trafficking situation:

Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free hotline at 1-888-373-7888: Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking.