San Diego County leaders launch campaign to combat human trafficking NBC 7 San Diego [Video]

Experts say tackling human trafficking starts with raising awareness. That’s why San Diego County leaders are launching a campaign to educate youth and children on ways to protect themselves.

“When we have really large tourist events, we actually see a rise in our human trafficking and our sexual exploitation,” Dr. Kimberly Giardina, director for San Diego County’s Child and Family Well-Being department with the Health and Human Services Agency, said.

San Diego is one of the nation’s 13 hotspots for human trafficking.

“It is basically prostituting children, and so there are pimps who will sell girls and boys, not just girls to perform sexual acts with adult men,” Giardina said.

Giardina said that in the last three months, the county screened 2,700 children and youth — 150 of whom were at risk or had already been trafficked. She said most of the human trafficking occurs among children and youth starting at age 12 …