Crystal Cox Media ~ Crystal L. Cox Investigative Blogger: Jennifer Kimpton; a Human Trafficking Survivor VOICE for Victims; Survivors Ink; Anti-Human Trafficking Advocate.

Make a Stand for women and children sold into sex slavery. Speak Up. Be a Voice

'Property Of' Permanently On Her Groin. Amazingly, This Story Has A Happy Ending."

"Tattoos have meaning. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule (that ice cream cone you got on your ankle at a drunken beach party during spring break), but the ideal scenario, tattoos represent a choice made of free will to have something beautiful and meaningful permanently engraved on your body. Unfortunately for many women, free will and beauty aren't part of the equation.

" Meet Jennifer Kimpton

Jen had a pretty rough childhood, experiencing poverty, abuse, and sexual assault. As she grew up, Jen did whatever she needed to do to survive, and after a series of abusive relationships, she felt like she had finally met The One.

But things aren't always what they seem. Her boyfriend, a man who she trusted and loved, a man who abused her and got her hooked on intravenous drugs, ultimately sold her to a gang for drugs and money.

Her story, while absolutely tragic, is not unlike that of thousands of other women and children sold into sex slavery each year.

While it is impossible to get an accurate count of exactly how many, here's what we do know: The Polaris Project estimates that there are 27 million people in modern-day slavery around the world.

That same data says that 70% of the women in that group are victims of sex trafficking. And yes, it does happen here in the United States. In fact, Jen's story, which starts in her youth, highlights one of the saddest facts: It 2000, it was estimated that in 244,000 children and youth in the United States were at risk of child sexual exploitation. (I know that was a lot of really depressing information right up front, but trust me, it gets better and less stat-heavy. Just needed to set the stage.)

Needless to say, Jen experienced some pretty terrible horrors during her time being trafficked, not the least of which was something known as "branding." Tattoo artists were placed in the drug houses to brand the girls with gang insignia and other markings to claim ownership over them.
Jen ended up with gang signs on her neck, several tattoos with the name of her boyfriend, and in one of the sickest moves of all, the phrase "Property of" imprinted right above her genital area.

Those tattoos remained long after she was able to break free and were constant reminders of her sexual exploitation nightmare. Wait. Did you catch that? The use of the word "was"? That's right.