New campaign looks to remove term 'child prostitute;' LASD will no longer use term

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Advocates for victims of rape and abuse launched a national campaign against child sex trafficking called "No Such Thing," which seeks to remove the term "child prostitute."

T. Ortiz was a victim of sex trafficking and was repeatedly sold for sex for seven years. But now she's an advocate for victims, standing alongside county leaders and law enforcement to announce the new campaign.

"We are here to say that there is no such thing as a child prostitute," said Malika Saada Saar, executive director of Human Rights Project for Girls.

Along with the campaign is a major shift in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department protocols: young child sex trafficking victims will no longer be referred to as child prostitutes and will no longer be arrested.

Deputies are instructed to reach out to the department's new human trafficking bureau, where victims can get much-needed services and support they need to escape their life on the streets.

"The tone is set. The message is very clear, and throughout the organization our goal is to be able to provide help and resources to those that are out there being victimized" Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.