DONATE

logologo
  • OUR WORK
    • What We Do
    • Gender-Based Violence
    • Youth Justice
    • Training and Technical Assistance
    • Research and Reports
    • No Such Thing Campaign
  • ABOUT
    • Achievements
    • Our Mission
    • Leadership & Board
    • Our Partners
  • NEWS & UPDATES
    • News and Updates
    • Rights4Girls in the Media
    • Press Releases
  • RESOURCES
    • Fact Sheets
    • Reports
    • Sex Trafficking Resources & Info
    • Newsletter Archives
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Get Involved
    • Join Our Coalitions
    • Newsletter Signup
  • CONTACT
    • Contact Us
    • Media Inquiries
  • OUR WORK
    • What We Do
    • Gender-Based Violence
    • Youth Justice
    • Training and Technical Assistance
    • Research and Reports
    • No Such Thing Campaign
  • ABOUT
    • Achievements
    • Our Mission
    • Leadership & Board
    • Our Partners
  • NEWS & UPDATES
    • News and Updates
    • Rights4Girls in the Media
    • Press Releases
  • RESOURCES
    • Fact Sheets
    • Reports
    • Sex Trafficking Resources & Info
    • Newsletter Archives
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Get Involved
    • Join Our Coalitions
    • Newsletter Signup
  • CONTACT
    • Contact Us
    • Media Inquiries

Child Exploitation Victim, Latesha Clay, Finally Released from Custody

Washington, D.C. – Rights4Girls, a human rights organization working to end gender-based violence against vulnerable young women and girls in the United States, applauds the release of Latesha Clay, a victim of child exploitation whose initial sentence was a clear miscarriage of justice. Rights4Girls Executive Director Yasmin Vafa issued the following statement announcing Latesha Clay’s release from custody:

“One year ago, 15-year-old Latesha Clay was sentenced to nine years in adult prison. Today, Latesha walked out of court after having spent over a year appealing her case. Latesha’s case garnered national attention because as facts about her case began to unfold, it became clear that she had been the victim of extensive abuse, neglect, and exploitation and that her initial sentence was a clear miscarriage of justice.

Latesha’s charges stem from an incident in which two adult men were robbed in a hotel room after responding to a sex ad on Backpage.com. When the men arrived at the hotel to meet 15-year-old Latesha, two other individuals robbed them. As a result, Latesha was charged with robbery and sentenced as an adult.

Upon further investigation by Michigan’s State Appellate Defender Office, it became clear that throughout her life, Latesha had been exposed to extreme trauma and exploitation that interrupted her education, forced her and her two small children into homelessness, and delayed her emotional and intellectual ability to understand her victimization and access safety. To make matters worse, Latesha was incarcerated in an adult correctional facility which required her to be held in isolation, separate from the adult inmates.

Fortunately, due to the zealous advocacy of her incredible team of appellate attorneys from Michigan’s State Appellate Defender Office, Dykema Gossett PLLC, and child trafficking experts from University of Michigan Law School’s Human Trafficking Clinic, today Latesha’s initial convictions were vacated and she was released from custody. Having pled guilty to lesser charges, she will continue to be supervised by the court but will have the opportunity to live in the community and obtain the services that will allow her to heal from a lifetime of trauma and care for her two small children.

Like too many girls across the country, Latesha fell victim to the abuse to prison pipeline that criminalizes girls for their experiences of violence and trauma. Instead of being seen as a victim of crime, Latesha was punished and ultimately criminalized for her exploitation. Today, Rights4Girls celebrates her release and applauds the unrelenting efforts of her advocates to ensure that Latesha did not become a victim of the pipeline, but that she receive the services and support she needs and deserves.”

Previous PostThere's No Such Thing as A Child Prostitute
Next PostRights4Girls Statement in Support of Senate R...
Recent Posts
  • The Epstein case is not an outlier. Child sex trafficking is ‘pervasive’ in the U.S.

    Jul 09, 2019

  • Rights4Girls & Georgetown JJI Release New Report Finding Arrests of D.C. Girls Rising Sharply

    Mar 22, 2018

  • Rights4Girls’ Statement on the Senate’s Passage of Historic Anti-trafficking Legislation

    Mar 21, 2018

  • Rights4Girls Releases New Report Urging for Protection of Child Sex Trafficking Victim Witnesses

    Jan 25, 2018

SUBSCRIBE

Get all the latest policy updates by signing up for our quarterly newsletter.
Sign Up

 

ACT NOW

Support our work to end sex trafficking
and the abuse-to-prison pipeline.
DONATE

 

FOLLOW US

700 12th Street NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: (202) 904-2401
© 2023. Rights4Girls is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Privacy policy