‘What happens when the street lights go off’: Woman, 20, speaks about child sex trafficking in O.C.

Oree Freeman wants everyone to know that child sex trafficking isn’t just a problem that happens in faraway countries — it happens right here in Orange County.

She knows because it happened to her.

Freeman was born to a mother in prison, adopted at 4 days old, molested throughout her childhood, and ran away from her abusive family at age 11. Within 72 hours of leaving home she was approached by a pimp, and for the next four years, she was beaten, raped and sold for sex on the streets of Orange County.

“I was sold right across the street from Disneyland, right across the street from the ‘happiest place on Earth,’” she said. “A lot of people don’t know what happens when the street lights go off, when you’re inside tucking in your children.”

But after receiving help from the Orangewood Foundation, an organization that provides foster and community youth services, she escaped the streets at age 15 and developed the life skills necessary to make it on her own.

Freeman, 20, now works as a youth advocate, sharing her story and insights into how Orange County can combat sex trafficking.

She plans to speak at 4 p.m. Sunday at St. Andrew’s Youth Center in Newport Beach.

Freeman wants Orange County residents to hear her story so they can understand and know how to respond to the human trafficking taking place around them.

“It’s happening right here,” she said. “Not just in Santa Ana — it’s happening in the Irvine streets, it’s happening in Mission Viejo, it’s happening in Aliso Viejo, it’s happening all over South County.”

“All I ever wanted was for someone to say, ‘Are you OK?,’” Freeman added. “All my life, teachers, coaches, social workers — no one ever asked if I was OK. No one ever asked why I lashed out in class. No one ever asked why I was so quiet. No one knew why I drew back from society.

“People didn’t understand. People didn’t want to reach out their hand to say, ‘Are you OK? What’s going on?’”

Freeman said she also hopes her work reaches other local survivors.

“I feel like it’s my passion and my responsibility in order to fight for them because they can’t fight for themselves,” she said. “I want to give hope to another girl, to know that there is hope, there is something after this. Sometimes it’ll take a fight, but it gets easier — it gets better.”

Tickets for the event are $10 and can be purchased at mdmcspeaker.eventbrite.com. All proceeds will be donated to Freeman.

The Youth Center is on the St. Andrew’s campus at 600 St. Andrews Road.