Who We Are

The Stop Human Trafficking International (SHTI) story began in 1996 when its founder, Dr. John L. Simons began treating Guatemalan refugee women and children in Indiantown, FL for sexually transmitted diseases and other physical injuries caused by their abusers and handlers within the Florida sex trade industry.The Emmanuel Mission was started to provide these poor individuals with a safe place to recover from their abuse while receiving free medical care, food and housing, As these services evolved, the Emmanuel Mission was also instrumental in providing these individuals with education, training and the skills necessary to reintegrate back into their families and communities while utilizing numerous community resources and private organizations who had joined the cause to stop human trafficking not only in Florida, but throughout the world.

Today, the mission of the Emmanuel Mission, as envisioned by Dr. Simons, has grown and expanded in scope and purpose. From our humble beginnings as a small, free medical clinic in Stuart, FL, The Emmanuel Mission, now known as“Stop Human Trafficking International” (SHTI), has become a worldwide, non-Profit, multi-disciplinary child rescue organization focused on assisting domestic and international law enforcement agencies in their efforts to investigate, locate and rescue these vulnerable victims of child trafficking.

SHTI and its members are tireless in their efforts to build strong partnerships with government entities, law enforcement and like-minded organizations and continue to expand their work and offer freedom, safety and medical care while reintegrating these poor victims back into the world.