I AM LITTLE RED is a 10-minute animated short aimed at children most at-risk for sex trafficking (e.g. foster-care, runaway, LBGTQ, homeless, and adopted children), with the goal of prevention and awareness. The film, narrated by Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain (English) and Aislinn Derbez (Spanish), animated by Academy Award winners Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala from Punkrobot, and written by 10 survivors of sex trafficking (aged 14-21) along with Alec Sokolow (Academy Award nominated writer of Toy Story) and Mary Mazzio (director/Producer of I AM JANE DOE), is a contemporary re-imagining of the classic fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood. I AM LITTLE RED addresses the four tactics a “wolf” (trafficker/pimp) will typically use to lure a Little Red off their path.
I AM LITTLE RED was created especially for middle school students (ages 11-14) of all genders. When coupled with the teaching guide’s 75-minute lesson plan, I AM LITTLE RED is a primary prevention tool aimed at reducing the risk of commercial sexual exploitation among children. By seeding entire grades within a school system or age groups within a community, a teaching session involving I AM LITTLE RED can be an important part of an inoculation approach to commercial sexual exploitation.
Major funding for this project was provided by The Angel Foundation, JEB Charitable Fund, CoStar Group, The McCain Institute, The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, ARS Restoration, and Molly Gochman.
With additional support from The William D. Lynch Foundation for Children and Katharine Winthrop.
We are working with educators and service providers across the country to incorporate I AM LITTLE RED into their trafficking prevention efforts. Our partners include:
MY LIFE MY CHOICE
Through survivor-led programs, My Life My Choice works to end commercial sexual exploitation of children by empowering youth and their allies to fight back. My Life My Choice wrote the teaching guide to accompany I AM LITTLE RED.
First Book
Through a sustainable, market-driven model, First Book is creating equal access to quality education — making everything from brand-new, high-quality books and educational resources, to sports equipment, winter coats, snacks, and more – affordable to its member network of more than 350,000 educators who exclusively serve kids in need.
Ricky Martin Foundation
RMF researches human trafficking in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to educate and sensitize the public with the hopes of preventing more people from falling victim to this crime. They are collaborating with the Puerto Rico Department of Family to bring I AM LITTLE RED to approximately 1,000 children in schools and foster homes on the island.
New York City Administration for Children’s Services
The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes safety and well-being of New York City’s children and families by providing child welfare, juvenile justice, and early care and education services. In January of 2018, NYC ACS announced their plans to share I AM LITTLE RED with thousands of at-risk youth, both online and through 300 city agencies and nonprofit service providers.
New York STate Office of Children and Family Services
New York became the first state in the country to comprehensively institute I AM LITTLE RED on a state-wide basis, in over 1,000 state and local agencies. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services is implementing I AM LITTLE RED in 642 offices state-wide and The Association of New York State Youth Bureaus is using the film in all 62 counties in New York State.
Toronto Human Trafficking Enforcement Team
The Human Trafficking Enforcement Team (HTET) is committed to developing and maintaining a victim-centered approach to human trafficking investigations, ensuring that victims are rescued and their recovery is a priority. HTET has added I AM LITTLE RED to its presentations on trafficking awareness, expected to reach approximately 1,000 students.
GEAR UP
The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) initiative is one of the largest and most effective programs focused on increasing the college and career readiness of low-income students in communities nationwide. GEAR UP will be making I AM LITTLE RED available to its vast membership of schools and programs (reaching over 700,000 students) across the United States as part of a commitment to early anti-trafficking awareness education.
FAIR Girls
Through educating high-risk girls and boys about their rights and resources, FAIR Girls motivates students to keep themselves safe from exploitation and trafficking and to become peer educations to “tell their friends” how to do the same.
PROTECT
PROTECT is a human trafficking prevention education program that was developed in 2015 through a coalition of three nonprofits (3Strands Global Foundation, Love Never Fails, and Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives), in partnership with the Office of the Attorney General for the State of California, the California Department of Education, Cisco Systems, and the Institute for Social Research at Sacramento State University. Through this program, teachers and students are learning about red flags, protocols, and ways to prevent exploitation through an online curriculum that provides all classroom materials necessary.
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) works with communities to protect children, the elderly, and people with disabilities from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. It also works to protect the health and safety of children in daycare, as well as foster care and other types of 24-hour care.