Name: San Diego strengthens fight against child trafficking
Uploaded: 2026-01-07T20:05:25.027Z
Duration: 3 min 8 s
Description: San Diego is strengthening its fight against child trafficking with new laws targeting buyers.

San Diego is strengthening its fight against child trafficking with new laws targeting buyers.

San Diego

San Diego, recognized as a hotspot for human trafficking, is intensifying its efforts to combat child exploitation. State and local leaders have enacted new laws, including making it a felony to buy sex from anyone under 18 and restoring penalties for loitering with intent to purchase sex. 

Advocates and survivors highlight the importance of safe housing and comprehensive support services, with organizations like Generate Hope providing long-term care. Recent law enforcement operations have resulted in the rescue of survivors and arrests of offenders, while increased funding is being directed toward housing, counseling, and job support for those affected.

San Diego strengthens fight against child trafficking

San Diego has long been identified as a hotspot for human trafficking. Now state and local leaders are taking stronger action to fight child exploitation. ABC 10 news anchor Gabe Salazar is live in studio this morning and Gabe you spoke with a human trafficking survivor about her journey. Yeah Mel and Jared that survivor is now an advocate with the nonprofit Generate Hope which provides long-term housing and care for trafficking survivors. She says San Diego's tourism industry makes the region vulnerable and these new laws address it. There was physical mental abuse, there was torture. Keelan's story did not begin with force or abduction. It began with attention. I was with a man who I felt loved me and cared for me and it wasn't long after that conversation that I'd find myself being sold on the streets of San Diego. She was just 14 years old. Over the next three and a half years she was trafficked across more than a dozen states controlled through fear, violence and what she says was psychological bondage. One man's purchase can change the trajectory of a survivor for the rest of their life. I'm still, even though I've been out for a really long time, I'm still paying the consequences for the decision of other people. Today her life looks very different. We walked through a Generate Hope safe house, a quiet secure space designed for healing. Inside the home feels warm, open and intentionally comfortable with spacious bedrooms, natural light and common areas that feel more like a family home than a shelter. What we looked at is how do we really support women in getting the best opportunity at never going back to the life. Advocates say that sense of safety and even luxury is by design because survivors deserve a place where they can finally exhale. Her experience highlights a much larger issue in San Diego. Anytime there is a large amount of men and large amount of money, we tend to see trafficking goes through the roof. That reality played out during Operation Home for the Holidays, a multi day sting targeting sex trafficking and exploitation across San Diego. 20 survivors were rescued and dozens of men were arrested for soliciting sex. Now new laws are taking aim at the demand side of the sex trade. As of January 1st, it is a felony to buy sex from anyone under 18. Before it was just a misdemeanor to solicit sex from a 16 or 17 year old loitering with intent to purchase sex is once again a misdemeanor and funding is being directed towards survivor services, including housing, counseling and job support. The D. A. Says these changes give law enforcement stronger tools to intervene earlier and send a clear message to buyers. Human beings are not for sale. Get that through your skull. A shift from survival to healing from blame to accountability generate hope, says homes like this, combined with stronger laws and enforcement are essential in giving survivors a real chance to rebuild their lives. For ABC 10 News, Gabe Salazar.

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