Justice and Soul empowers young people who have experienced or are at-risk for commercial sexual exploitation to become confident and self-sufficient individuals through professional training in cosmetology. We currently have two areas of focus:
Pacific Northwest Cosmetology Scholarship Fund: Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) has gone largely unchallenged in the United States. Nationwide, at
least 100,000 children are coerced, forced, or otherwise put into the sex trade in the United States every year and the average age targeted for recruitment into prostitution is 13. Prostituted youth are often controlled by a pimp who recruits them into sex trafficking, often by posing as a boyfriend, caretaker, or protector. Today's "red light" districts are mobile, and marketing occurs online - including the luring of the victims, then the sale and purchase of their time. In response to this growing crisis, the JASF scholarship fund has been established for teens rescued and looking for retraining opportunities in the cosmetology field. By partnering with local cosmetology programs, we provide on-going opportunities for aspiring stylist to gain entry into the beauty industry. A component of this program includes a pay-it-forward factor for graduates to participate in international outreach with the Justice & Soul Foundation. AND
International Outreach: Worldwide, it is estimated that over twelve million people are considered enslaved today and over one million are children. In Cambodia alone, 35% of the 15,000 sex workers are children under the age of 16, some as young as five years old. . JASF’s international outreach is a nationwide collection of stylists and other industry professionals assisting in the rehabilitation and prevention of sexual exploitation around the world. Beginning with Cambodia, we will use our expertise in the beauty industry to teach cosmetology skills and provide life coaching, support and inspiration to these young women and men so that they may go on to create new careers in a marketable and reputable profession. In addition, JASF provides ongoing sponsorship/scholarships for housing, food and education while these young people participate in the cosmetology program. Our model is designed to create a self-sustaining school and salon that ultimately will be staffed and supported by the graduates and the Cambodian community. It is the intention of the Foundation to replicate this model and provide hope throughout the world.
