Speakers At St. Ben’s Give Insight Into The World Of Sex Trafficking [AUDIO]

ST. JOSEPH -- Two guest speakers shared their harrowing stories about their connections to underground sex trafficking tonight at the College of Saint Benedict.

Edwina Gateley and Brenda Myers-Powell were the featured speakers in "Two Women's Stories: The Long Journey from Drugs and Prostitution to Healing and a New Life", an event which is part of Sex Trafficking Awareness Week.

Gateley says she had a "strong calling" from God to help victims of sex trafficking and has done so for the past 30 years.

"There's another side to the story -- these women have a story," Gateley says. "We haven't heard their story."

Myers-Powell, who spent 25 years as a prostitute, is the subject of the Emmy-nominated documentary film Dreamcatcher and now speaks about her personal experiences and advocates awareness.

She says having the opportunity to inspire other victims of sex trafficking means a lot to her.

"It's my life, it's what I do," Myers-Powell says. "My passion is to help women in human trafficking."

"This is what I live to do."

Both speakers say more awareness has been raised about the world of sex trafficking but Myers-Powell says there is a lot more to be done.

According to the FBI, there are an estimated 300,000 child prostitutes in the United States and the number is growing.