CINCINNATI, Feb. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In Kentucky alone, drugs were involved in almost
40 percent of child sex trafficking cases — cases where the age
range of alleged victims is 2-17 years old.
And yet Kentucky — one of five
states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies as
hardest hit by the opioid crisis — is one of only a small handful
of states that officially tracks and reports the intersection of
drug addiction and sex trafficking.
"Sold in America," a new documentary series launching on
Sunday, Feb. 18, from next-generation
national news network Newsy, dives deep into this violent, abusive
and lucrative industry to uncover the gaps in government efforts to
combat sex trafficking.
The three-part series presents the stories behind the buying and
selling of sex through the voices of trafficking survivors, sex
workers, pimps, buyers and the public officials on the front lines
of the effort. "Sold in America" highlights multiple perspectives
on the problem and potential solutions, including why some of them
just won't work, according to the sex workers themselves.
"Our goal should be to stop violence, not criminalize those who
are working to survive," said Laya
Monarez, whose story is featured in the series. Monarez is
an artist and activist who engaged in survival sex, which is
prostitution motivated by the need for basics like food and
housing.
From the most exclusive brothels to urban and suburban
neighborhoods, reporter Noor Tagouri
and producer Kate Grumke cover the
intersection of the sex trade with some of the nation's worst ills:
gender discrimination, racism, drug addiction and child abuse.
"I never knew nothing (sic) about human trafficking," said
Ashley Cacho, who shares her story
of being trafficked starting at age 11. "I never knew that I was
being exploited. … It's something that I thought was normal."
View the trailer here.
"'Sold in America' puts deep reporting against a backdrop of
intense, memorable scenes and nuanced, sensitive storytelling to
paint a new picture of the buying and selling of sex," said
Christina Hartman, vice president of
news and programming for Newsy. "You will walk away heartbroken,
then angry, but ultimately inspired to influence change."
"Sold in America" premieres on Newsy's cable and over-the-top
live-streaming channels Sunday, Feb.
18, at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
Check local listings for channel availability. The series will then
be available for on-demand viewing beginning Thursday, Feb. 22, on streaming services
including Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
Newsy is the leading cable and over-the-top news network for
millennials. Its documentaries, original series and in-depth
coverage of the day's U.S. news and stories from around the world
are available everywhere viewers watch television. Newsy is a
wholly owned subsidiary of The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:
SSP).
About Newsy
Newsy is the next-generation national news
network that provides "news with the why," built to inform and
engage by delivering the top stories across every platform. Its
content is available on cable; on over-the-top services including
Hulu, Roku, Apple TV, Sling TV, Watchable from Comcast, Pluto TV,
Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast; and on connected television
including Xumo. Newsy is also available via its mobile apps and at
newsy.com.
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SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company