Father-Con and Artists for Change hosted a film screening of Angie: Lost Girls on Wednesday, July 27 at the Look Dine-in Theater in Downey. The film is about a teenage girl who follows her dream to be a singer and falls into the arms of a charming boy who works for human traffickers. Parents distracted, a teenage daughter in love, what could go wrong? One girl’s nightmare is a nationwide reality.

Human trafficking, the sexual exploitation of children, the most vulnerable among us, is increasingly the consequence of what is happening in our homes. According to Father-Con founder Patrick Erlandson, it is primarily but not exclusively because of the lack of healthy father figures in the house.

A panel discussion followed the film screening. Photo by Sara Kil.

Following the screening, attendees heard from law enforcement officials, a survivor, and various support organizations for fathers who are fighting human trafficking. The film is regularly used for community and outreach screenings and is available for educational purposes for NGOs fighting human trafficking. http://humantraffickinghotline.org. National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1 (888) 373-7888 SMS: 233733 or (Text “HELP” or “INFO”) 24 hours; 7 days a week • 200 plus languages.

Artists for Change is a non-profit organization with a mission to create high-impact film, television, and multimedia projects to inspire individuals, organizations, and communities to bring about positive social change. To learn more about Angie: Lost Girls visit https://www.artists4change.org/filmprojects/lost-girls-angie.

Father-Con is “a call to the fathers, father-figures, and future fathers to celebrate the significance of fatherhood, recognizing the consequences of stumbling on our path to being the fathers our children and communities need us to be while providing the encouragement and support to get back on course and to see an end of human exploitation.” To learn more visit https://www.father-con.org/.