Photo by Kim Veis.

Child sex trafficking is an “epidemic” problem in D.C., but one that, for the most part, takes place away from the public view. It’s only when high-profile cases emerge — like the D.C. cop who forced minors into the sex trade, or the unclear circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Relisha Rudd from a homeless shelter — that people outside of this world can see the devastating reality.

For the second year, D.C. anti-trafficking organization Fair Girls will host an event in a downtown hotel room that offers visitors a glimpse into the life of child sex trafficking victim. In D.C., the average age of a victim sold into sex trafficking is between 12 and 14.

During “Night of the Girl,” the walls of a hotel room will be covered in “collages of online sex advertisements and drawings from local teens who have witnessed trafficking and sexual violence.” Recordings of victims and traffickers will play, while survivors and advocates will speak.

Fair Girls operates a shelter that can serve 75 girls a year, the only one of its kind in the city. The organization, which also offers advocacy and counseling, is one of the co-sponsors of a bill that would provide immunity and resources to victims of child sex trafficking.

Currently, police can arrest victims of sex trafficking for prostitution and solicitation, which officials say is a tactic that is used to keep them safe. “We understand wanting to keep children safe,” Andrea Powell, executive director of Fair Girls, told DCist earlier this year. “But when effectively using [safe harbor], you don’t re-victimize the victim. You get a better witness, and that child is more likely to stay engaged in services because they have done so with full support, rather than being compelled to do so.”

Kiana, a survivor and Fair Girls advocate, was sold into child sex trafficking at 15 “while the police just passed me by.”

“Eventually, they arrested me and tried to charge me with prostitution. Afterwards, I lived for years in silence and shame,” she said in a statement. “Girls who are arrested will not talk to anyone because they are scared. The police should stop arresting girls like me. They need to make sure these girls get to help so that they don’t suffer like I did.”

“Night of the Girl” will take place between 8 p.m. and midnight at the downtown Comfort Inn (1201 13th Street NW).