Since 1995, Prostitution Research & Education has provided carefully researched facts about trafficking and prostitution to thousands of researchers, legislators, survivors, activists, and advocates in the U.S. and around the world. PRE’s goal is to abolish prostitution while at the same time advocating for alternatives to trafficking and prostitution – including emotional and physical healthcare for women in prostitution.  PRE conducts original research, provides materials for public education and training, and collaborates with organizations and individuals to develop new research, educational materials and to push for alternatives to prostitution.

In October 2010, Essence Magazine featured an article entitled: “Black Girls For Sale,” which centered around the plight of young women set upon and exploited by predators in Oakland, California.  The article touched the heart of the Reverend Dr. J. Alfred, Jr., senior pastor of Oakland’s Allen Temple Baptist Church who assembled a group of church members, now known as the “Streets Disciples,” and charged them with the task of addressing the issue of commercial sexual exploitation. The Streets Disciples offer aid and embrace to the victims of domestic violence, commercial sexual exploitation and street drama by offering health information, recovery resources, legal aid, and housing assistance to underserved women and educational resources to the greater Oakland community.  The organization serves as a hub for ministries and locally based non-profit organizations charged with combating the scourge of human trafficking.