I am extremely grateful to have had an opportunity to interview Laurin Crosson, the founder of RockStarr Ministries and discuss this incredibly important work.

EOR: To start out with, for those who aren’t familiar with the important work you are doing why don’t you tell us a little bit about RockStarr Ministries (mission statement, etc…)
LC: RockStarr Ministries is a group of dedicated volunteers who passionately serve victims of human trafficking and others in the adult industry, providing them with accurate information about available resources, religious information, and assisting them in encountering God’s love, and finding the human respect and compassion they deserve. We strive to provide hope for building better lives.

EOR: Answering as much or as little as you feel comfortable, what made you want to get in to this line of work/ministry? What experience(s) called you to it?
LC: I was a victim of human trafficking for the majority of my adult life. I experienced all levels of human trafficking from street prostitution to back stage work in pornography, print work and film. I have seen all aspects of human trafficking through these and many other venues for the sale of human flesh. I have witnessed the suffering of women desperate to leave the scene and have a better life. During my tenure as a victim of trafficking, I tried to escape many times, unfortunately, there was no place for me to go, and there were no open beds. In the United States there are more than 300,000 beds available for stray dogs, yet there are less than 300 beds available for victims of human trafficking.

EOR: I know you have an impressively expansive team for actions already, but what are your plans (if any) for further expansion in the future? Are there any upcoming actions?
LC: I have been fortunate enough to have been invited to many different venues to speak about human trafficking. Education is my greatest tool for recruiting conscientious, compassionate and dedicated new team members. Currently I am working with several National Survivor Organizations to change the laws in all 50 states so that victims of human trafficking will have their fines and sex offender status vacated after they are free from the life. We are also challenging some local laws that prosecute prostituted women who carry more than 2 condoms. Our goal is to keep victims safe, and assist them in exiting the life when they are ready.

We are currently in an ongoing event that delivers cupcakes and condoms to those in the community as a loving outreach. Our goal is to deliver messages of love, humanity, respect and resources to anyone who may wish to leave the life.

Outreach programs also benefit our volunteers. They learn valuable skills in learning how to identify situations in the community where they can be of immediate assistance to those in need. They learn how to make connections with the victims and other community resources so that they are proficient in assisting any individual who may reach out for help. We are so proud of the Rockstarr Ministry volunteers. We have been able to create a huge outreach and would not have been able to do so without them. Our dedicated volunteers have been successful in reaching individuals who have made contact and are now in the process of exiting the human trafficking realm. We experience profound blessings from God and His divine love for each soul as we help them find hope in the belief of the worth of their own souls.

EOR: Do you mind telling our readers a little bit about Human Trafficking? So many people believe this is a problem far removed from the United States but that isn’t true at all, correct?
LC: The US Department of Justice Recently reported that “94% of all sex trafficking victims are female. 97% of sex trafficking victims are under 25, 4 out of 5 victims in confirmed sex trafficking incidents are identified as US citizens, 68% of all labor trafficking victims are female.”

The average age upon entering human trafficking is 13 years. The average life span of a victim is 7 years, the number one cause of death is murder.

OSHA stated that being a night shift convenience store clerk was ranked the number one most dangerous job. Prostituted women face that risk times 100.

EOR: What do you say to folks who insist that women/children choose to enter into sex work?
LC: Firstly we don’t sanitize human trafficking with the title of sex work. (Authors note: My deepest apologies!) We also do not use the term prostitute. We do this because we know that 98% of women want to leave the life immediately. This rarely is a choice and even when it begins with a choice, it often ends up in the hands of pimps and traffickers. A woman being sold for sex is nothing less than a woman being raped for someone else’s profit.

EOR: I asked some of my fellow permabloggers here at Rational Faiths if they had any questions specifically for you and the overwhelming response was that they wanted to know how they could get in on the action of helping with such an important cause. They are based in several different locations in the United States and want to help spread the work as far and wide as possible. How can those interested contact RockStarr Ministries?
LC: Our ministry reaches through the United States, Canada and Mexico and we want to see it continue to expand across the planet. Rockstarr Ministries’ educational page can be found on Facebook. You may request membership to our closed group on the public page. Keep in mind that the closed group is a sanctuary for victims and survivors and you are asked to check your privilege. Disrespect, judgments or uncharitable writing of any kind will not be tolerated. This is a place of love, healing and support.

EOR: I want you to know that I am really proud to know you and to call you Sister. You are doing incredibly important work that is very near and dear to my heart. You are on the errand of Angels and I commend you for it, I really do. Before we end though, I really appreciate you taking the time out to answer my questions. Is there anything else you would like to say either about yourself personally or RockStarr Ministries as an organization?
LC: There is no easy solution to this problem and exiting the life is a process. There is no room for criticism or judgment on any one individual who found themselves tangled in this web. Our only concern, ever, is to help them reclaim their lives, humanity and self respect. This is not an overnight process, and requires faith on the part of the victim and diligence and available resources for the part of the volunteer.

This is so important to me that I put my personal phone number on every single card that goes out to every single individual that we contact.

Faith and inspiration are my guides and we are reaching victims and changing lives. I believe that God sends angels daily to help us to do this work and we are saving lives.

Since we are running the organization on volunteer power and a very threadbare shoestring budget, we also have the ability to accept donations. Please contact me via Facebook for a link to our donation site. We could desperately use the funds to continue our efforts at bringing light, hope and love to those who need it most. All donations go directly to our outreach efforts! Thank you in advance for your support! We can’t do it without you!

I encourage everyone who is reading this piece to check out RockStarr Ministries on Facebook and see if there is anything they can do to help with such an important cause.  We are all in desperate need of each other, and we must do what we can to make sure that not one single soul is lost in such a way.  In the age of the internet, lifting where we stand takes on a more big and beautiful meaning.

EOR

EOR is a convert and a divorcee. She is the 2013 Wheaties award winning author in the category: "Funniest Thread", and has a B.S. in Business Management and Economics. In addition to being a permablogger at Rational Faiths, she also is a permablogger at Expert Textperts. She lives in NY, has 2 cats, and enjoys brevity, deli sandwiches, and laughing.

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