What is sex trafficking?
Sex Trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age. It is a form of modern-day slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of others.
What is the magnitude of sex trafficking?
The FBI estimates that there are up to 300,000 child prostitutes in the US, a figure that is purportedly growing. At least 75% of minors exploited through prostitution is controlled by pimps or traffickers according to the US Department of Justice. In metropolitan Chicago, 16,000 to 25,000 women and girls are involved in commercial sex trade annually, with of them first getting involved in prostitution by the age of 15 years, and 62% by the age of 18 years.
Where will the Dream Center be located?
In order to create a safe place for the girls, we do not disclose the location of the safe home.
Where will the girls come from who enter the Dream Center?
In addition to our weekly outreach, The Dreamcatcher Foundation has built relationships with organizations that rescue and/or receive sexually exploited girls into their immediate care. These organizations will place those girls in our safe home for long-term care.
How long does your program last? How long will girls stay in the safe home?
There is no predetermined length for the program; it is unique to the girl and her needs. Once she has turned 18, has become emotionally healthy enough to be placed into a stable foster care home, or she is reunited with her parents, a girl will generally leave the safe home. Generally, our goal is to help girls become stable within 24 months of entering our program.
What services do you provide once a girl leaves the safe home?
Once a girl leaves the safe home, we consider her part of The Dreamcatcher family and look forward to finding ways to involve her in our community.
What’s your “success rate” of restoring girls’ lives?
The Dreamcatcher Foundation has developed benchmarks we look to in considering our progress. A couple of these factors include the number of girls in our care and the number of girls who do not return to exploitative situations. More importantly, we aim to provide comprehensive restoration which is sometimes difficult to measure.
What is your administrative/programmatic cost ratio?
Since our inception, our administrators have not received money for their services and have worked full time jobs in addition to their countless hours with TDF. All proceeds from donations have gone directly to servicing the girls in our care. We are currently seeking to build our Dream Center, so that our leaders can work solely within the organization. If you would like more financial information, including our annual reports, please contact us at info@thedreamcatcherfoundation.org.
Where do you get your funding?
Funding for The Dreamcatcher Foundation comes from a variety of sources including private foundations, communities of faith, individuals, and fundraising events. If you would like to support us, you may make a donation here.
