Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale, an Activist Finds Her
Calling and Heals Herself
At thirteen, Rachel Lloyd found herself spiraling into a life of abuse as a victim of
commercial sexual exploitation. Lloyd was eventually able to escape, but as founder of
GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services), a groundbreaking program for girls
ages 12-21 who have experienced sexual exploitation and trafficking, Lloyd knows that
her success story is an exception. By daring to share her story and those of many girls
like her, she opens our eyes to the shocking realities of commercial exploitation of girls
in America, reminding us that human trafficking is not only a Third World problem.