Rami ’19 is studying commercial sexual exploitation and California’s protections against human trafficking among youths for her Social Justice Capstone project. Her research sparked her involvement with Children of the Night, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing youth from sex trafficking through their hotline services and online and in-person tutoring centers, where they provide online resources and immediate assistance to exploited children.
Rami is co-president of Girls Go Global, a student-led club that discusses issues relating to women, and first became interested in the topic of sex trafficking when she attended the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women last March as a Girls Go Global youth delegate. At the conference, which was led by the United Nations Economic and Social Council and focused on promoting gender equality, she learned about the prevalence of child marriage in the United States.
After the conference, Social Justice and Community Outreach Program Head Pamela Wright suggested that Rami explore the topic of sex trafficking for her Social Justice Capstone project. Rami said she became fascinated with the topic and determined to help combat it.
“Sex work is extremely taboo in social dialogue, although very prevalent. Movements have become very divided over the rights of sex workers, but everyone should agree that minors shouldn’t be subjected to sexual exploitation,” Rami said.
Rami’s main objective is to improve the tutoring systems of Children of the Night, including their online resources for shelter placement, resume preparation and filling out FAFSA forms for college. The organization’s academic resources are key in offering opportunity and a chance at a new life to rescued sex trafficking victims.
Rami has already arranged study guides and lessons for social studies, reading, science and math into more interactive and organized formats, such as quizlets and powerpoints. Her work offers students access to academic resources in not only the United States, but also the Dominican Republic, India, Nepal, Ghana and Vietnam.
In addition, Rami conducts independent research on how policy and media interact with commercial sexual exploitation, through reading scholarship and articles around the issue and exploring policies in place. She said she hopes to raise awareness among teens about sex trafficking because commercial sexual exploitation is a widely ignored issue.
