Human Trafficking

I wonder if Chris Epting's Thursday column, "Rescuing tortured phantoms of the night," might not just as aptly have been titled, "Religious zealots annoy women trying to make a living. " There are perspectives that the story doesn't address. Where does Epting find the statistic that "thousands" of teens in Orange County have been forced into human trafficking? So, essentially the combined student bodies of Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar high schools are out working the streets?

In 2001, Natasha Herzig found herself at age 19 staring at a gun, yanked into a car before she could make a sound. She spent a year trapped, working as a high-end escort for a pimp. The indignities were numerous. She remembers receiving a beating for asking whether she could go home. There was the john who once tried to suffocate her with a shower curtain after forcing her to lie in an ice-filled bathtub. She had to walk "the track," meaning the street, to meet her prostitution quota.

UCI students awarded Fulbright scholarships Three UC Irvine students this year have won Fulbright scholarships, which provide students with funds to do research abroad. Catherine Nguyen, a member of the Campuswide Honors Program and a double major in comparative literature and European studies, received a scholarship to study in France at the University of Provence. She intends to base her studies in French colonial policy and its effect on Vietnam.

A panga boat carrying 15 illegal immigrants flipped in heavy surf along Crystal Cove early Tuesday morning and ejected all the occupants, federal immigration authorities said. All but two aboard were detained and there were no serious injuries or deaths, officials said. The incident was reported around 5 a.m., said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The nationalities of those detained were not immediately available because they were still being questioned by federal agents, Kice said.

During nearly six years on the bench at Compton Juvenile Court, Commissioner Catherine Pratt saw scores of children facing prostitution charges. She made little progress on the cases — they came from impoverished, dysfunctional families and cycled through again and again. "It was very disheartening and, frankly, I wasn't looking at it the right way at the time," said Pratt. "I was frustrated with them. I kept saying, 'Why are you doing this to yourself? It is a really bad choice.'" Then, two years ago, a girl came into Pratt's courtroom with a particularly harrowing story.

When employers knowingly hire illegal immigrants, they bypass many state and federal laws, which include our labor laws. Fringe benefit costs that are normal for citizen workers can be avoided and passed on to the community when services are used. Employers should not be allowed to hire illegal immigrants with impunity. JACK GORTON Costa Mesa I just wanted to say that I certainly do support penalizing employers who hire illegal immigrants. I also support Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor.

The Internet has helped sex trafficking to flourish, but it has also provided a new batch of tools to fight the scourge, according to a Vanguard University professor. Sandy Morgan, director of the Costa Mesa university's Global Center for women and Justice, invites police and the public to learn about those tools at the annual Ensure Justice Conference this weekend. "Yes, cyberexploitation happens, and it's something we need to be better at preventing ... in the community," Morgan said.

Costa Mesa High School Les Miller Outstanding Student Awards MANDY NGUYEN GPA: 4.28 School Activities/Clubs: National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation, ROP Emergency Medical Responder, ZOE academy Community: Mesa Verde Library, Heart of Jesus Retreat Center, part-time job at the Orange County Marketplace Honors: valedictorian, Balboa Bay Club Scholarship, Mustang Recognition Awards, Principal's Honor...

As a prelude to Valentine’s Day, the Soroptimist Club of Newport Harbor held its annual Matters of the Heart Awards luncheon Feb. 6 at the Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa. The event, chaired by Dawn Marie Lemonds, saw silent and voice auctions coordinated by Roslinda Lopez. Member Sue Haddock did her usual excellent job as Master of Ceremonies as she kept the program moving and introduced the honorees, Sandie Morgan of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force and the Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter.

WESTMINSTER - A burgeoning relationship between a small Christian college in Costa Mesa and a public university in Iraq could help shape the Middle Eastern country's response to gender-based violence in its northern region. Over the span of 15 days, a small team of Iraqi government officials and academics are touring Orange County and studying the local justice system's procedures for crimes against women. Wednesday, the group of about half a dozen Iraqis gathered at Westminster's police headquarters.