Holly Yzquierdo

Ken remembers serving in the U.S. Army in the Gulf War, but he doesn’t like to. “We killed a lot of people,” said Ken. “People think that war is just a cake walk, but its not.”

After leaving the military in 1991, Ken spent more than 20 years walking a trail of heartache with five broken marriages and time in jail.

“I was one of the few in my hometown in Ethiopia who made it to high school and then college,” said Merie. “Education has a lasting impact on independence, self-sufficiency and becoming a contributing member of the community.”

Sex trafficking is depicted in movies and television—but most of us can’t fathom the depravity of the traffickers or the cruelty the victims are forced to endure. Worldwide, sex trafficking is a $150 billion dollar business annually with an estimated 27 million victims.

Sex trafficking is forced prostitution, and often called modern day slavery. Here are the top three myths that people often believe about sex trafficking.

Melissa started experimenting with drugs at the age of 14 - and by age 19, she was a full-blown meth addict. At the time, she had a great job, nice things, and loving parents - but eventually, she lost all of that to addiction. The only way to make money was to sell her body. She began trading sex for a place to stay and for drugs.

Mary was in a domestic violence situation for eight years. Her husband controlled her financially and would not allow her to buy food for her dogs. He gave her $30 per week to buy food and would beat her if she couldn’t buy enough food for them both for the week. Mary decided to take her two dogs and escape the abuse.