Former Revere/Saugus resident shares heartfelt story of sex trafficking that began at the Palace

By Tara Vocino

Hosted by the Daughters of the American Revolution, a former Revere/Saugus resident shared her five-year journey concerning sex trafficking at Saugus High School on Saturday morning. Jasmine Grace Marino, who grew up in Revere and moved to Saugus at age nine, defined sex trafficking as “someone gaining money for another’s exploitation.”

What seemed like an innocent night at the Palace Nightclub with friends led the gullible, young Marino to a life that included changing her name, eventual homelessness, OxyContin/heroin addiction and a life spiraling out of control. At the time, she attended Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School, hoping to become a hairdresser.

“He took me shopping, met my family, acted like he was my boyfriend,” Marino said. “The trafficker gave me a false sense of security.”

The New Hampshire resident attended Grace Ministries in Saugus when she lived locally. She eventually left him when she was pregnant and he forced her to abort the baby. “I was tired of living a double life,” Marino said. “It led to eating disorders, OCD, a lump in my throat that wouldn’t go away, working out like crazy and washing my body often.”

During a question-and-answer session, School Committee member Stephanie Mastrocola asked her son what sex trafficking is, and he thought it was something learned in driver’s education. “We have to push this more in schools,” Mastrocola said. “Although no one wants to face it, it’s the world we live in now.”

Parent Wendi Magliozzi asked Marino how to better educate college students. “I wish my daughter and more students were sitting next to me,” Magliozzi said. Marino responded that there are respected documentaries on YouTube.

Approximately 50 people attended the event. Some donated items to Bags of Hope, which are given out to vulnerable people with a note saying “there’s a better way.”