Former Prostitute Turns Heartache into Hope With New Social Enterprise to Fight Domestic Sex Trafficking
Newport News, VA
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Shoe Revolt Founder Ateba Crocker
Video Clip: Click to Watch
ShoeRevolt.com Launches Aug. 1 to Fight Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls Through the Sale of Shoes
Newport News, VA. – After surviving childhood rape and prostitution, Ateba Crocker is channeling the past abuse into an enterprise opening Aug. 1 to fund the fight against domestic sex trafficking.
Shoe Revolt is a for-profit company aiming to stamp out human trafficking by creating a social enterprise to produce a steady revenue stream through the sale of new and used donated shoes. All net profit will be dedicated to fighting human trafficking, with 50 percent going to charitable partner GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services), and the other 50 percent going to survivor educational scholarships and public advocacy.
ShoeRevolt.com is an online shoe boutique that raises awareness of, inspires and empowers women to donate high-end shoes to eradicate human trafficking in the United States with every donated shoe sold. Celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Emily West and Zöe Bell have donated shoes from their collections, as have executives, lawyers, politicians and stay-at-home moms.
Crocker's motivation for the business came because of her own personal nightmare that began when she was only 10, when her father told her she looked like a prostitute and began regularly raping and abusing her.
"While many little girls live their childhood dreaming of being a princess and playing tea party, I had a different reality," she says. "I never thought that the words and abuse from my father would turn me to the streets."
After the abuse, Crocker became promiscuous, a typical response to childhood abuse, which resulted in pregnancy. Then, to support her child, Crocker turned to prostitution. Crocker says she managed to walk away from the sex industry, but many young girls are unable to do so because they are enslaved against their will.
"At night while we sleep in America, down corner alleys, behind old buildings, along abandoned railroads, horrible and unimaginable crimes are being committed against our sisters and daughters – someone that could easily be us or someone we love," Crocker says.
In the U.S., on domestic soil, sexual exploitation and trafficking is a multibillion-dollar thriving industry. The statistics are staggering. According to www.polarisproject.org:
An estimated 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked annually into the United States.
U.S. citizens trafficked within the United States is even higher.
An estimated 200,000 American children are at high risk for trafficking into the sex industry each year. ?
Girls coming out of this lifestyle need intensive therapy, medical care, education and job skills, nutritious food and trauma counseling, Crocker says.
"This care is expensive, and often girls need to stay in programs for years until they are able to support themselves," she says. "Our goal is to help provide safe places for victims to recover from their horrifying experiences. The fight doesn't stop when a victim is rescued – it stops when she is healing and living a life free of sexual exploitation."
For more information on how to donate shoes or make a purchase, visit http://www.ShoeRevolt.com
Ateba Crocker
CEO
Shoe Revolt -- fighting human trafficking
Newport News, VA
757-376-3412
Newport News, VA
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Shoe Revolt Founder Ateba Crocker
Video Clip: Click to Watch
ShoeRevolt.com Launches Aug. 1 to Fight Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls Through the Sale of Shoes
Newport News, VA. – After surviving childhood rape and prostitution, Ateba Crocker is channeling the past abuse into an enterprise opening Aug. 1 to fund the fight against domestic sex trafficking.
Shoe Revolt is a for-profit company aiming to stamp out human trafficking by creating a social enterprise to produce a steady revenue stream through the sale of new and used donated shoes. All net profit will be dedicated to fighting human trafficking, with 50 percent going to charitable partner GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services), and the other 50 percent going to survivor educational scholarships and public advocacy.
ShoeRevolt.com is an online shoe boutique that raises awareness of, inspires and empowers women to donate high-end shoes to eradicate human trafficking in the United States with every donated shoe sold. Celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Emily West and Zöe Bell have donated shoes from their collections, as have executives, lawyers, politicians and stay-at-home moms.
Crocker's motivation for the business came because of her own personal nightmare that began when she was only 10, when her father told her she looked like a prostitute and began regularly raping and abusing her.
"While many little girls live their childhood dreaming of being a princess and playing tea party, I had a different reality," she says. "I never thought that the words and abuse from my father would turn me to the streets."
After the abuse, Crocker became promiscuous, a typical response to childhood abuse, which resulted in pregnancy. Then, to support her child, Crocker turned to prostitution. Crocker says she managed to walk away from the sex industry, but many young girls are unable to do so because they are enslaved against their will.
"At night while we sleep in America, down corner alleys, behind old buildings, along abandoned railroads, horrible and unimaginable crimes are being committed against our sisters and daughters – someone that could easily be us or someone we love," Crocker says.
In the U.S., on domestic soil, sexual exploitation and trafficking is a multibillion-dollar thriving industry. The statistics are staggering. According to www.polarisproject.org:
An estimated 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked annually into the United States.
U.S. citizens trafficked within the United States is even higher.
An estimated 200,000 American children are at high risk for trafficking into the sex industry each year. ?
Girls coming out of this lifestyle need intensive therapy, medical care, education and job skills, nutritious food and trauma counseling, Crocker says.
"This care is expensive, and often girls need to stay in programs for years until they are able to support themselves," she says. "Our goal is to help provide safe places for victims to recover from their horrifying experiences. The fight doesn't stop when a victim is rescued – it stops when she is healing and living a life free of sexual exploitation."
For more information on how to donate shoes or make a purchase, visit http://www.ShoeRevolt.com
Ateba Crocker
CEO
Shoe Revolt -- fighting human trafficking
Newport News, VA
757-376-3412
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