Executive Summary
- Minors now account for 50 percent of all trafficking victims assisted by the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force.
- The “Know More, Do Better” conference trained over 600 middle school students on recognizing exploitation and online safety.
- Education programs have resulted in an 84 percent increase in students’ ability to identify trafficking signs.
- The average age of a minor sex trafficking victim in the region is 14, prompting earlier intervention efforts.
COSTA MESA, Calif. — More than 600 middle school students gathered at Vanguard University on Monday for the fourth annual “Know More, Do Better” conference, a collaborative initiative designed to equip youth with tools to recognize and prevent human trafficking. Presented by the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force in partnership with Waymakers and over 30 government and nonprofit agencies, the event addressed the rising prevalence of minor exploitation in the region.
Data released in the task force’s 2025 Human Trafficking Victim Report indicates that minors now account for 50 percent of all trafficking victims assisted locally. The report highlights that the average age of a minor sex trafficking victim is 14, a statistic that underscores the urgency of early intervention strategies. Waymakers, the lead victim service provider for the task force, utilizes the mandates of the California Healthy Youth Act of 2016 to facilitate these critical conversations within local school districts.
Lita Mercado, Waymakers’ chief program officer for victim assistance programs, emphasized the necessity of engaging students before they reach high school. “At 13 and 14, if we’re not talking about it, then they’re not going to be comfortable talking about it,” Mercado stated, noting the developmental differences between early adolescents and older teens. “There’s power in voice, power in speaking out.”
The conference featured interactive sessions led by the Vanguard Live2Free student club and presentations from survivors. Martha Trujillo, a survivor who was recruited into a gang at age 10, addressed the students directly regarding self-worth. “Every single one of you in this room has value that existed before anyone judged you, labeled you or decided who you were supposed to be,” said Trujillo, who now holds a master’s degree and operates the nonprofit Full Circle to assist at-risk youth.
Workshops focused heavily on digital safety, identified as a primary vector for modern exploitation. Zoe Morales, a member of Live2Free, cited online gaming platforms like Roblox as potential grooming environments where adults build false trust with children. “They’re trying to get something in the end, and that’s usually something like a sexual image or explicit picture,” Morales explained to the attendees.
Educational Outreach Impact
The strategic shift toward peer-led education appears to be yielding measurable results in victim prevention. Lisa Delamater, the Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) coordinator for the County of Orange Social Services Agency, noted that the objective is to reach children before they have unrestricted internet access. According to the 2025 Victim Report, students participating in these programs demonstrated an 84 percent increase in their ability to recognize trafficking signs and a 115 percent increase in confidence regarding how to report concerns. As online extortion and sextortion cases continue to rise, local agencies are prioritizing direct engagement with middle school demographics to mitigate the risks associated with increasing digital connectivity.
