Grant will pay to have tattoos removed from Long Beach victims of human trafficking

Long Beach received a grant to help victims of human trafficking, officials aounced today.

The Opus Community Foundation gave the $5,000 grant to the Long Beach Community Foundation’s Crime Prevention Fund to help remove tattoos – including pimp’s names – that victims of trafficking are often forced to get.

“This service means more to some women than anyone will ever know,” City Prosecutor Doug Haubert said in a statement.

Tattoo removal has been identified by victims as an area of great need, according to Haubert’s office, which provides services to victims of human trafficking. In some cases, pimps have inflicted tattoos on girls as a form of punishment or humiliation, or to send a message to others that the girl is the pimp’s property.

Removing the tattoo is a significant and visible step in recovery for some trafficking victims, he said.

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