The Girls Educational and Mentoring Services organization, founded in 1998, emerged from the personal experience of Rachel Lloyd, who sought to address systemic failures in protecting sexually exploited youth. After relocating to New York, she transitioned from direct social service engagement to a broader role as a prominent human rights defender and executive addressing domestic trafficking.
Early Development and Transition
Born in 1975 in Stalbridge, Dorset, Lloyd attended Portsmouth High School. She departed the school system at thirteen. By seventeen, she lived in Germany, where she eventually engaged with a United States Air Force base community in 1994, marking the beginning of her shift in life direction. She moved to the United States in 1997.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Founding Girls Educational and Mentoring Services
Upon arriving in New York, Lloyd worked with incarcerated women at Rikers Island and other facilities while engaging with individuals in the Hunts Point area of the Bronx. Recognizing that existing government agencies failed to support young women at risk, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Marymount Manhattan College and a Master of Arts in applied urban anthropology from City College of New York. In 1998, she established her organization in Harlem to provide services for girls and young women aged 12 to 24.
Policy Advocacy and Legislative Reform
Lloyd focused on changing legal perceptions that treated trafficked children as criminals. She successfully lobbied for the 2008 Safe Harbor for Exploited Youth Act in New York State. In 2010, she provided testimony to the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. Her advocacy contributed to a declaration on child exploitation presented at the United Nations in 2009, which was subsequently ratified by 120 countries.
Professional Recognition
Lloyd has received numerous accolades for her work. These include the 2006 Reebok Human Rights Award and the 2018 World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child. In 2020, she was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. Her work was also featured in the 2007 documentary film Very Young Girls.
Fast facts
- Born: 1975, Stalbridge, United Kingdom
- Founder: Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (1998)
- Education: Marymount Manhattan College; City College of New York
- 2020 Honor: Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
- 2006 Award: Reebok Human Rights Award
- 2018 Award: World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child
- Role: Chief executive officer and human rights defender
Questions readers ask
What is the primary focus of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services?
The organization provides direct support to girls and young women, aged 12-24, who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking.
What was the significance of the 2008 Safe Harbor for Exploited Youth Act?
The act recognized exploited minors as victims entitled to social services rather than as criminals within the New York State justice system.
Achievements
- Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George — 2020
- World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child — 2018
- Educated at Portsmouth High School and Marymount Manhattan College