Last night I was watching a documentary on CNBC about a topic that upsets me deeply and one that I am very passionate about. It is a topic that, quite frankly, is often misunderstood, lacks awareness and it is one that many people would prefer to forget. Unfortunately, HUMAN TRAFFICKING is not going away and it is actually becoming a far bigger issue and problem than any one of us would like to believe. Watching these young women share their stories brought me to tears and made me so angry. As a mother of three daughters whom I love more than anything in this world, I was enraged at the horrific abuse these young girls endured and it was once again a dark and painful reminder that this monster is alive, thriving and lives closer than most people realize. The terror, pain and abuse these young girls survived was appalling and sadly, the circumstances that led these innocent and unsuspecting girls to their fate could happen to anyone.
As with many things in life, perception is everything and human trafficking falls prey to a great deal of misperception. Often times, people that live in the United States are lulled into a false sense of security because they believe human trafficking does not happen here. People believe that human trafficking is a crime that happens in other countries and that the victims are poor, runaways or drug addicts. It is time for a wake-up call. Human trafficking can happen to anyone and is prejudice to no one! It does not matter if you are male or female, young or old, rich or poor. It does not matter where you live, what ethnicity you are or what level of education you may have reached.
Human trafficking is a booming business in the United States and it is in the cities, small towns and the suburbs. Our children are at risk just like everyone else. The perpetrators are finding their victims in on- line chat rooms, at malls, schools, after-school programs, theaters and parties. All kids can be vulnerable and these perpetrators are smart, enticing kids with false promises of modeling jobs, gifts, clothes, popularity, love, money, friendship, drugs and more. At times, girls are being used to recruit unsuspecting girls into this nightmare. While teenagers are often targeted kids are trafficked at all ages. The belief that this only happens to runaway kids and in other parts of the world is wrong. It is happening everywhere and it is happening NOW. Continue reading »
