The exploitation of minors is an alarming reality in the United States, and it comes in many forms: One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused by age eighteen. And the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the U.S. is part of a thirty-two billion dollar criminal industry.

Perpetrators of crimes of sexual exploitation view our communities as a prime location to recruit new pimps and lure new victims. These youth often have no idea what is really happening to them until it is too late. The purpose of the First Responder Program, therefore, is to equip First Responders with strategies to recognize and respond to exploitation on their watch.