Group honors those who fought for exploited children

Kubiiki Pride’s 13-year-old daughter had been missing for nine months in 2009 when the Missouri mom made a horrifying discovery as she combed through ads on Backpage.com. There, on the same website she used to sell puppies, was something else for sale: her daughter.

“At first, I was excited I had finally found her,” the Ferguson, Mo., mother told the Herald. “But I never wanted to find her there, in the adult services section for escorts.”

Last night at the Seaport Boston Hotel, the nonprofit My Life My Choice presented the Beacon of Light Award to Pride. Other recipients included another child victim’s mother, who asked to be identified only as Nacole S., and retired Ropes & Gray managing partner and litigator John T. Montgomery for waging a legal war against Backpage. com to try to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

“These are people standing up against the multi-billion-dollar sex industry responsible for inflicting pain and degradation on the most vulnerable in our society,” said Lisa Goldblatt Grace, co-founder and director of the survivor-led organization. “Our honorees deliver two clear messages: Anybody can stand up and be a part of this movement, and every one of these youngsters is someone’s child.”

With a philanthropist’s help, Pride eventually was reunited with her daughter, she said, but the child was not the same as the one she lost. Eight years after she was beaten, burned and repeatedly raped, she is “still damaged, still broken,” Pride said. “She’s just gotten older.”