Eyewitness Newsmakers: Inside Los Angeles’ notorious prostitution hot spot, the Figueroa Corridor

LOS ANGELES () — The Figueroa Corridor in Los Angeles is one of the most notorious and brazen human trafficking locations in the entire country.

7 on Your Side Investigates Reporter Kevin Ozebek spent late nights with police as they try to combat the traffickers and buyers, often making some eye-opening discoveries. In his special “Sex in Plain Sight: The Figueroa Corridor,” Ozebek shows how women sell sex on street corners at all times, sometimes right in front of police, while men exploit them.

In this edition of Eyewitness Newsmakers, Ozebek gives more insight into what he experienced while spending time on the so-called “Blade,” and why the Figueroa Corridor is such an appealing location for human trafficking.

Multiple organizations in the Los Angeles area work to help women escape life on the street and begin to heal. Tera Hilliard, President/CEO of Forgotten Children, Inc., explained how human trafficking is enslavement.

“Human trafficking is force, fraud and coercion, and so the victims that are enslaved and trafficked have no choice as to whether they want to participate,” Hilliard said.

Hilliard went on to explain why some women have an incredibly difficult time escaping life on the street, even if they’re victims of violence.

“The average age a person is lured into sex trafficking is between the ages of 12 and 14. Traffickers groom them, and they gain their trust. They become the end-all for them, and so as they get older, they’re locked into this lifestyle,” Hilliard explained.