ou couldn't spot them on the street, but right now there are slaves living in local neighborhoods, hidden in basements and being transported along area highways.

The CIA estimates 50,000 women and children are transported each year throughout the United States by being conned and forced into a life of sexual exploitation. The FBI estimates that the average age of a prostitute in the United States is 13.

These women and girls are considered modern-day slaves and can be found throughout Minnesota, even being recruited at local malls and teenage hangouts.

Chong Kim, a survivor of sex trafficking in the United States, said she is using her story to show people that sex trafficking does not only occur internationally, but right in their own backyards.

After a childhood of abuse by family members and friends in Dallas, Kim said she experienced domestic abuse when she was involved with a man in the military at the age of 19.

Without identification, Kim said, she was unable to find a homeless shelter to stay in, and was quickly approached by a woman from a Dallas escort service who promised to help.

Kim said she felt she was trapped with the escort service, and was soon trafficked to Las Vegas, blindfolded and handcuffed, and eventually kept in an abandoned warehouse.

To be more profitable, Kim said, she was forced to dress as a Japanese geisha and talk in broken English, despite being Korean and speaking fluent English.

Kim said that through her outreach, she has helped as many as 22 women escape prostitution, and is currently helping five people get back on their feet.

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