While the FIFA World Cup brought economic growth, sports culture, and global prestige to Seattle earlier this year, beneath the surface lies an often-ignored reality: a spike in sex trafficking and community violence.

Leading the front lines in combatting sex trafficking in Seattle is The Silent Task Force (STF), a grassroots, Black woman-led, multi-service, and multigenerational organization dedicated to addressing systemic inequity, violence, and trauma in the greater Seattle area.

On a special episode of The Pop-Up!, host Alicia Crank sat down with LaTanya Horace-DuBois, STF Founder and Executive Director, and Fayth Njenga, the organization’s Youth Program Director, to discuss the Task Force’s community response during the FIFA World Cup in Seattle and the urgent efforts to support affected youth and families across Washington State.

Key Findings and Surprises from the Response Effort

Horace-DuBois and Njenga shared STF’s Preliminary Impact Report from the FIFA World Cup, in partnership with Stronger Together Ending Exploitation, the Seattle Police Department, and YWCA Seattle King Snohomish.

Post-Event Influx: A steep rise in domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking cases during event periods, the post-event numbers exploded even further.
Increasing Severity Among Younger Demographics: A surge in severe cases involving youth as young as 12 to 16 years old.

The executive director also highlighted broader facts about sex trafficking in the region:

Washington's High Rates: Washington State remains one of the most prolific hubs for sex trafficking in the nation, with Black people 3.26 times as likely to go missing, despite making up only 4.4% of the state’s population.
Geographic Expansion Beyond Aurora: While Seattle's Aurora Avenue is widely known as a trafficking hub, trafficking operates as a statewide and multi-state business along major transit corridors like Interstate 5 and Pacific Highway, extending to areas like Spokane, Everett, Renton, Kent, and Tacoma.

"Black bodies being used for sex, being trafficked, being sold—that's not new for Black people,” Horace-DuBois said. “This is some generational sickness that we've had to deal with since being here."

Centering Youth Leadership: The Youth Ambassador Internship

A component of the summer response was the FIFA Youth Ambassador Internship Program, directed by Njenga. The program engaged young people directly in community outreach, safety, and sex trafficking awareness surrounding the FIFA response.

Ranging in age from 13 to 24 and coming from areas between Tacoma and Everett, Washington, 18 youth, many of whom were directly impacted by community violence, served as "boots-on-the-ground" ambassadors.

"We wanted youth who are experiencing the safety concerns that are being faced in our community. It's not very effective if we're just taking the people that are going to school every day and come from high-income families and don't know a lot about the concerns in their community... all of their voices were extremely valuable,” Njenga said.

The youth engaged with community members, distributed informational flyers at public events and transit centers, and advised the organization on designing practical "safe sex kits" equipped with supplies like UTI test strips, pain relief, hygiene items, yeast infection test kits, and emergency contraceptives.

Contributing to over 10,000 combined hours of advocacy over the summer, the program fostered intergenerational connection, provided participants with trusted adult support, and ultimately created pathways to hire several ambassadors as ongoing youth advocates and content creators, Njenga said.

"To my youth: you matter. Your voices are important. You are powerful, you are amazing, and don't ever let nobody else tell you otherwise,” Njenga said. “There are so many opportunities in our community for you to thrive."

Legislative Push and Advocating for Black Missing Persons

Horace-DuBois also detailed STF’s work around the Ebony Alert, a specialized notification system designed to address the alarming rate at which Black people, particularly young women and girls, go missing.

While the preliminary Ebony Alert bill faced legislative procedural delays in Olympia, the STF team remains steadfast. According to Horace-DuBois, they are currently using this period to build community awareness, educate law enforcement, and secure broader grassroots backing.

"How can we be silent about this? And why aren't more people aware of this? And why aren't we creating an alert for Black people? Why don't we deserve that?” Horace-DuBois said, comparing the proposition to the Amber Alert and Silver Alert.

What Is The Silent Task Force?

While STF’s primary focus is serving Black families from "cradle to grave," Horace-DuBois emphasized their open-door ethos: anyone who walks through their doors asking for help will receive it.

"At The Silent Task Force, we don't do all these applications where you have to qualify and you have to showcase to us that you've actually experienced hardships in your life, because we don't need that kind of proof,” Njenga said. “We understand that you can look completely okay on the outside, but on the inside there's so much going on."

The organization addresses interconnected issues including sex trafficking prevention and outreach, domestic and family violence, sexual assault resources, gun violence intervention, and holistic, healing programs.

Calls to Action

Both Horace-DuBois and Njenga stated clear, actionable takeaways for the community at large:

Move Beyond Silos: Horace-DuBois called on churches, schools, community organizations, and neighbors to step up. She urged supporters to move away from performative allyship.
Support Low-Barrier Services: Removing rigid application barriers and maintaining absolute confidentiality is vital to helping victims recover without trauma or public exploitation.
Report and Connect: Njenga encouraged community members to speak up when seeing signs of danger and reminded youth that their voices are essential, powerful, and valued.

“We don't need somebody with lip service. We don't want allies, we want accomplices,” Horace-DuBois said.

For more information on programs, resources, or ways to support their work, visit thesilenttaskforce.org.

LaTanya Horace-DuBois and Fayth Njenga Share The Silent Task Force’s FIFA Sex Trafficking Preliminary Impact Report

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