The news was shocking: A 15-year-old Florida girl allegedly had sex with multiple partners in a high school bathroom earlier this month, sparking an investigation by police and hundreds of news stories.
But
advocates for the girl have come forward with a troubling explanation –
that the girl had previously been a victim of human trafficking.
As news of the incident became international news, the girl’s mother contacted NBC 2 to share the girl’s alleged tragic history.
According
to the mother, the girl had run away from home when she was 13 and was
held captive for nearly 2 years. The mother rescued her daughter with
help from Megan Estrem, the founder of Be the Light, an advocacy group
for victims of sex slavery.
After
her rescue, the girl has been placed in several treatment centers. She
had only been a student at South Fort Myers High School for two weeks.
The Disturbing Incident
According
to the girl’s mother, she had gone to the bathroom to meet up with a
boy she liked. He wanted to have sex, so she complied. Then, according
to Estrem, word got out and more boys showed up in the bathroom.
But
although the girl had multiple partners, her family wants to make it
clear that the news stories were overblown. “She did not sleep with 25
boys in the bathroom,” Estrem told the news station. “There was only a
handful that she did sleep with. In this case, it was more of a
spectator sport.”
The
girl has been pulled from school. According to the school district, 16
other students – many of them student athletes – have been disciplined.
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