Hoping to one day put an end to this particular crime targeting children, the actress playing Hermione Lodge on 'Riverdale' recalls her own experience of being raped by a few boys at the age of 11.
- May 1, 2020
AceShowbiz - Marisol Nichols proves she is not all talk when raising awareness to child sex trafficking. Having played a number of time on screen, the actress known for her portrayal of Hermione Lodge on "Riverdale" was uncovered in a new interview to have been involved in real undercover stings targeting predators for years.
In an article piece published by Marie Claire on Thursday, April 30, the 46-year-old explained why she agreed to personally assist a team of investigators to catch sex traffickers. "If good people don't know about it, it will keep happening, because good people are the only ones who will do anything about it," she plainly pointed out.
Throughout the years, the former "24" actress volunteered to take on the role of young teen or parents offering their children to lure predators. Recalling one operation where she posed as "a trafficker who sets up child sex parties," she could not help but notice, "These guys look like normal people." Yet, upon seeing how they "lit up at the mention of an underage kid," she admitted, "you want to kick him in the balls and beat the hell out of him."
On why she took upon herself to go undercover, Marisol disclosed her dark past. At only 11 years old, she fell victim to rape when she went out with a friend and a few older boys. "What the hell is an 11-year-old doing putting herself in a position at a party with a bunch of guys smoking pot and drinking alcohol?" she recounted. "It ended up being my worst nightmare."
The next thing the "Homeland Security" actress remembered was "waking up on a bed with no underwear on and everyone laughing." She also remembered "being kicked on the sidewalk in my stomach in the middle of winter" and someone telling her, "Get up, b***h." The incident, she said, "changed the entire trajectory of my life in a day."
On the same day the article was released online, Marisol took to her Instagram to encourage fans and followers to read and share it. "I really couldn't be more excited for this to finally come out, not because of 'look what I'm doing' but because of all of you and millions of others who will read about this issue and horrifyingly, learn how easy it is to buy a kid," she explained.
"So part of my passion has always been to raise awareness, so that crimes like these don't go unnoticed, people are educated, and hopefully one day put an end to the words 'child sex trafficking,' " she went on sharing. "However, raising awareness only goes so far, and I had to do more...had to do something. This article represents what I've been doing."
