SAN FRANCISCO — A new feature film is drawing attention to a grim reality in America: child trafficking. City of Dreams depicts the harrowing story of a child kidnapped and sold to a sweatshop in California.
Vanessa Russell, an anti-sex/labor-trafficking activist and founder of Hayward-based nonprofit Love Never Fails, says that child trafficking is a pervasive issue in California and across the nation.
“There’s a lot of different ways that someone can be sold in our world, unfortunately. And this is happening to every age, race, gender and religion. It doesn’t discriminate and, sadly, it’s something that we really struggle with here in California,” Russell said.
Russell’s organization provides essential recovery resources for trafficking survivors, including clothing and housing. Her mission is deeply personal, shaped by her own experiences in foster care.
“I was in foster care as a baby and so — I have a lot of my own personal trauma story that informed me working with inner city kids very much like me,” Russell explained.