Invading the Darkness: Inside the Historic Fight Against Child Sex Trafficking in the United States - Softcover

In November 1998, U.S. Representative Linda Smith founded Shared Hope International to fight sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation and to serve the long-term restoration needs of women and children in crisis. Today, as a 20-year veteran and leader in the movement, Shared Hope strives to prevent the conditions that foster sex trafficking, restore victims of sex slavery, and bring justice to vulnerable women, girls and boys. Linda is the primary author of From Congress to the Brothel, Renting Lacy, the upcoming Invading the Darkness: Inside the Historic Fight against Child Sex Trafficking in the United States, and co-authored The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and the DEMAND Report. Linda served as a Washington State legislator from 1983 to 1993 before she was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1994 as a result of a write-in campaign. Her compassionate and uncompromising belief that every individual has dignity has carried her from the halls of Congress to searching out victims in the United States and around the world. Linda resides in Vancouver, WA, and is a proud parent and grandparent with her dearly late husband, Vern Smith. You can learn more about the issue of child sex trafficking at sharedhope.org.

"When I met with Linda and the subject of missing kids came up, I told her, "I know where the kids are. I've been saying it for years. We'd been waking up the nation about missing kids. Now it was time to wake them up about children and sex trafficking in the United States." --Ernie Allen, Founding Chairman and Former President, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

"Not knowing what to do is an excuse that just doesn't fly...what we need to remember is that there is hope. I always want to return to that message. We can make changes. We can reshape this conversation and educate people on what is really happening." --Judge Robert Lung, member of U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on Human Trafficking

"It's critical that survivors are heard in this movement, not just for our stories and insights or as "tokens" survivors. We must also be heard to inform individuals and organizations about issues that still need to be addressed." --Kristy Childs, Survivor Advocate, Founder and President of Veronica's Voice, Inc.