Soroptimists join effort at Comic-Con to fight trafficking

Three North San Diego Soroptimists were among several volunteers who spent time outside San Diego Comic-Con to educate attendees about human trafficking and ways to stop it.

Debby Hopp, the 2025-26 president, and fellow Soroptimists Esta Browning and Bridget Denihan spent several hours on July 25 distributing around half of the 2,800 fans — which had information on human trafficking and how people can report suspicious incidents — given out over three days.

“I did not know what to expect, but it was really inspiring,” Hopp said. “We stood across … from the convention center where there were lots of booths.”

While Hopp said some people just took the fans and moved on, others stopped to chat with the Soroptimists who were accompanied by Yusef Mill, co-chair of the San Diego Advisory Council’s Community Committee.

“Some stopped to learn more,” Hopp said. “The cool part was that we were not just handing out a piece of paper that they would toss. The fans they might keep.”

The Soroptimists’ outreach effort was designed to help trafficking victims and potential victims through information printed on the fans, which included warning signs that might be observed at airports, hotels and transit areas. While some of the signs may be lawful activities, multiple signs could indicate child trafficking, according to the message printed on the fans.

Examples at an airport included a person having no control of their travel documents or identification papers, exhibiting anxious or nervous behavior and avoiding eye contact, not speaking on their own behalf and asking permission from a companion to eat or use the restroom.

For hotels, they included an adult checking in with several non-related children, having few or no personal belongings, individuals monitoring guests in the lobby, children taking on adult roles such as paying the bill and communication that seems scripted or rehearsed.

As for transit areas, warning signs included asking or talking about the local sex scene, adults traveling with non-related children, bruises or other signs of abuse and individuals unaware of travel plans or destinations.

The information included a warning that those observing any suspicious behaviors not engage with anyone suspected to be involved. Instead, they should report the incident to authorities for investigation, with the “see something, say something” motto.

“Our law enforcement, government and community are fully committed to protecting children and individuals from exploitation and abuse,” said the message on the fans. “Join us in keeping a SAFE San Diego.”

They were directed to call 911 if there was an immediate threat. For all other suspicions, questions and concerns people were directed to call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center’s 24-hour hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or the San Diego Human Trafficking Taskforce Tip Line at 858-495-3611.

The groups distributing the fans included STAT San Diego (Soroptimists Together Against Trafficking); SAFE San Diego, an anti-human trafficking community; and the regional LiveWell San Diego coalition.

Soroptimists International chapters throughout San Diego have been focused on stopping human trafficking and helping survivors rebuild their lives for many years.

Soroptimist Lisa Lindgren, now with the Mission Valley chapter, said she helped found STAT in January 2011, a couple months after learning about a study on trafficking in San Diego. The organization conducting it discovered a large number of high school and junior high students were being victimized.

At the time, Lindgren was president of the La Jolla Soroptimists and she attended a meeting with over 100 people representing various law enforcement agencies and other organizations to discuss the study’s results.

Realizing public awareness was a critical component, Lindgren said she got representatives from 19 Soroptimist chapters in the county to form STAT. Since then, chapters donate money annually to support educational outreach and survivor assistance. The North San Diego and Poway chapters raise money through their Celebration of Courage (formerly Hats and Heels) fundraiser.

This was the third time Soroptimists have distributed fans at Comic-Con. Other fan distributions included the 2016 MLB All-Star Game, said Soroptimist Paula Day, another member of STAT.

Lindgren said this fall Soroptimists will screen the documentary “Journey,” that focuses on three local trafficking survivors, and host panel discussions.

“People think of trafficking happening in other countries, but these girls are lured away, often due to abuse or neglect in their families,” Lindgren said. “They are approached by an older boy, they think they are in love, he romances her.”

In this “relationship,” the man persuades the victim to participate in sex trafficking. While the teens might agree at first, when they change their minds they are then forced to continue through violence and threats to them and their families.

“They are not necessarily kidnapped,” Lindgren said.

To warn teens, the Soroptimists have given school presentations, including a showing of the short film “Chosen,” which shows how normal teens like themselves can get swept into human trafficking.

“(Victims) are mostly women, but also some boys,” Lindgren said. “While some end up in labor trafficking, our organization primarily focuses on sex trafficking.”

Lindgren said her motivation for the past 14 years has been “to make a difference. We have a lot of work to do.”

The fan distribution was not the only effort to fight human trafficking at this year’s Comic-Con.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Aug. 7 that a three-day sting operation was held throughout San Diego County that targeted sex buyers during Comic-Con weekend.

From July 24-26, the California Department of Justice’s San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force sting operation led to 13 arrests for solicitation.

“Solicitation is a crime, and these arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that we stand ready to hold them accountable,” Bonta said in a statement. “The demand for commercial sex is a driving factor that contributes to human trafficking, where perpetrators profit from the exploitation of people for sex or labor by force, fraud or coercion.”

According to the attorney general’s office, agents went undercover to initiate contact with sex buyers throughout the county. In advance of Comic-Con weekend, the attorney general and Comic-Con International partnered together to raise awareness of human trafficking and provide resources for the public to assist in the fight to combat human trafficking.

Events like Comic-Con, with thousands of attendees, “are a perfect opportunity to raise awareness of human trafficking, a crime that comes in many forms, including sex trafficking, forced labor and domestic servitude resulting from force, fraud or coercion,” they said.

In 2024, a similar joint investigation during San Diego Comic-Con resulted in 14 arrests and 10 victims recovered and offered services. Of the victims, nine were adults and one was a 16-year-old.

The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force involves multiple law enforcement agencies. They include the FBI, California Highway Patrol, San Diego Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego City Attorney’s office and San Diego District Attorney’s offices.