Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing
Modern Family star Ariel Winter has opened up about her new career change, which sees her go undercover in order to catch child sexual predators.
Winter is best known for playing middle child Alex Dunphy on the hit ABC American sitcom between 2009 to 2020, for which she and her several costars won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series four consecutive times from 2010 to 2013.
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However, the 27-year-old actress is now working for a brand-new mission as she currently works with an organisation called SOSA (Safe From Online Sex Abuse), which fights online child sex trafficking.
Opening up about her volunteer work, Winter told PEOPLE earlier this week (7 May) that she started working with SOSA 'a couple of years ago'.
"They're an amazing organisation," she said, speaking of the small initiative which uses women acting as young decoys to lure in pedophiles on the internet in sting operations and then work with local law enforcement to arrange in-person meetings with those looking to abuse children, and get those perpetrators arrested.
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"They fight child sex trafficking online, which is usually the precursor to in-person trafficking."
She first became involved with SOSA after she and her boyfriend, Luke Benward, happened upon the TV show titled Undercover Underage, which followed SOSA's missions.
"The show just impacted me deeply because I was that kid so many times over that was preyed upon in person online," Winter explained. "I was just like, God, I would love to be able to help be a part of that.
"I don't want to say there's a solution, but I would love to help take some of these people off the streets."
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The star says that joining the stings was 'nerve-racking', before detailing the process: "We build decoy rooms in case the [perp] wants to see our rooms; we have personas. It’s very serious."
Discussing her experience as a decoy, Winter carried on: "You’d be blown away by the number of people you encounter [who are Internet predators]. It could be anyone.
"The person sitting next to you or sleeping next to you. They don’t look like the 'monsters' you think they would."
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She went on to bravely share how working on the operations has unfortunately resurfaced some 'past traumas' for her.
"I didn’t realise it would bring up some of the things past traumas for me that it did, but when you’re in disguise as a 12-year-old and someone is telling you what they’re going to do to your 12-year-old body… it’s hard," she opened up.
"People want to turn a blind eye and pretend this part of the world doesn’t exist or isn’t as prevalent, but it does and it is, so much. Kids are so vulnerable to being exploited online in this heavily digital age."
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Winter went on to warn: "Parents think, 'I love my child, I’m present in their lives, they have friends, this wouldn’t happen to them.' But it can and does happen to anybody."
Opening up about how working with SOSA has helped her overcome her own childhood trauma, the actress added: "I experienced a lot in my time in this industry and a lot just in so many other areas.
"I feel so lucky to have come out where I have now."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Rhiannon Ingle