Inside the Hollywood Evening That Shined a Light on the Global Fight Against Child Trafficking

The London Hotel in West Hollywood played host this weekend to advocacy, celebrity, and unfiltered truth converging in a striking display of purpose for the NGO Charity FREE A GIRL. 

Actress and humanitarian Yolanthe Cabau hosted a powerful red carpet event that gave Hollywood’s elite an intimate look at one of the world’s most pressing human rights crises: the sexual exploitation of children.

Presented in partnership with Deadline, the evening spotlighted Free a Girl, the international, female-led nonprofit founded by Cabau. The event’s centerpiece never-before-seen footage from undercover rescue missions offered a harrowing glimpse into the dangerous, often invisible operations that define the organization’s front-line work across nine countries.

The short film, too sensitive to include in Cabau’s recent Netflix docuseries YOLANTHE, served as a rare behind-the-scenes view into real-life missions, illuminating the extraordinary bravery required to dismantle trafficking rings operating in some of the world’s most hostile environments. The emotionally raw material, screened for an invitation-only audience, laid bare the cost of justice and the human stories behind the statistics.

Following the screening, Deadline’s Executive Editor Antonia Blyth moderated a gripping live panel featuring Cabau, Lara Lessing (Director of Free a Girl USA), and Lane Terzieff (founder of partner nonprofit UNIT-E). Each brought their own lens to a conversation that ranged from policy reform and survivor justice to the moral complexities of real-time rescues.

Lane Terzieff, Yolanthe Cabau and Lara Lessing

“Hope is not wishful thinking, it is a strategic action,” emphasized Lessing, whose meteoric rise in global advocacy has already seen her go undercover in active trafficking zones and build survivor-led justice programs across continents. Her stage presence reflected the same urgency and depth she brings to boardrooms and rescue operations alike.

Terzieff, a faith-driven humanitarian operating largely in the shadows, added, with calm intensity, a vivid perspective on the frontline dangers and ethical decisions that accompany live rescues. Together, the panel made clear: dismantling a $150 billion trafficking industry requires far more than awareness. It demands strategy, courage, and sustained investment.

The star power in the room echoed that message. Among those walking the red carpet were Jaime King, Tara Reid, Jason Ritter, Amanza Smith, and executive producer of Sound of Freedom Paul Hutchinson, among others. Their attendance served as both endorsement and call to action Hollywood lending its visibility to amplify an issue that often lives in the dark.

Yolanthe Cabau, whose Netflix series recently became the most-watched show in the Netherlands within 12 hours of its premiere, has made it her life’s mission to bridge advocacy and media. Represented by Huzur Yilmaz in the Netherlands and Liz Fuller in the U.S., Cabau has seamlessly transformed her platform into a force for change. The series, which charts her journey of motherhood, trauma, and mission-driven reinvention, offers only a fraction of what was shared during this private evening making the event all the more impactful.

Free a Girl, founded in 2008 by Cabau alongside Arjan Erkel, Evelien Holsken, and Roelof van Laar, has since rescued over 8,500 children and contributed to the arrest of more than 4,000 traffickers. Their work doesn’t end at rescue. Survivors receive comprehensive care and many go on to become prosecutors, journalists, and police officers through the organization’s School for Justice disrupting the very systems that once failed them.

“A rescue is never just about one child,” said Cabau during the evening’s closing moments. “It’s about the world around her. It’s about the healing, the justice, the transformation that follows when we believe in her potential and invest in her future.”

The night closed not with the usual photo ops and party chatter, but with a standing ovation, tearful hugs, and a clear call to action: support the women and the movement working to end child sexual exploitation.

For more more information or to donate visit Free a Girl.