On Top of the Mountain: The Fight Against Sex Trafficking of Minors

By Sally Cook

It was not part of my 25-year plan to live on top of a remote mountain in Santa Barbara, California. It was not a part of my plan to build a place of refuge for girls rescued from sex trafficking.

It was not part of my plan to leave behind friends and family to fight the modern-day slavery that exists on my own doorstep. In fact, as a city girl from Los Angeles with a successful career in the entertainment industry, it was something that was definitely not on my radar.

Luckily, it was a part of God’s plan. And because of it, I am more of the woman I was created to be.

Over a decade ago, I was visiting a local church when I heard the following: “Sex trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the USA and the average age of entry is 12 years old¹. ”. When I heard this statistic, I was horrified. Twelve years old! I thought of my 12-year-old niece. I thought of the sweet 12-year-old girl next door. I thought of so many innocent young girls ensnared in this depravity, and I knew I couldn’t just stand by. The lioness in me raised her head and roared, “No way, not our vulnerable ones, not on my watch!’ It’s not that I felt incredibly brave or ready to fight; it was that I knew I couldn’t do anything.

And nothing in my world was ever going to be the same again.