BY DANA CRISWELL
Human trafficking, slavery, sex trade, and abductions, are all horrible crimes that many of us thought only happened in far away third world countries. After all, the civil war ended slavery in the United States, it doesn’t exist here.
Occasionally we hear of a young girl who is missing but many of us have always thought that was just some troubled girl who probably ran away from a bad home. We see prostitutes walking up and down Lamar Avenue in Memphis but in our mind those are bad women who sell their bodies to make money to buy drugs.
There is an organization located in Southaven, MS, 51 South Foundation, that is trying to educate and change the attitude many of us have about human trafficking. What I’ve learned is that human trafficking exist right here in my community. Slavery still exist and women of all ages are being abducted and sold every day. Many of those women or girls walking Lamar Avenue are not there by choice, they have been trapped into a situation where they are being exploited and controlled.
Here are some statistics on human trafficking that may shock you;
Within 72 hours, 1 in 3 runaways are exposed to trafficking.
2200 children go missing each day in the United States,
Sex trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world.
Human trafficking generates $9.5 billion yearly in the United States. (United Nations)
Approximately 300,000 children are at risk of being prostituted in the United States. (U.S. Department of Justice)
The average age of entry into prostitution for a child victim in the United States is 13-14 years old. (U.S. Department of Justice)
A pimp can make $150,000-$200,000 per child each year and the average pimp has 4 to 6 girls. (U.S. Justice Department, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
The average victim may be forced to perform sex acts 20-48 times a day. (Polaris Project)
Fewer than 100 beds are available in the United States for underage victims. (Health and Human Services)
Earlier this month a human trafficking operation was uncovered in Little Rock, AR. Arkansas state representative David Meeks of Conway said, “A lot of people are aware of human trafficking, a lot of attention has been brought to it lately but I think there’s still that thinking ‘well, it doesn’t happen here, it’s not happening in our backyard’, and unfortunately we’re finding out that it is happening in Little Rock,”
More:
http://www.mississippigunnews.com/2...hters-to-carry-a-gun-human-trafficking-exist/
When I got home I had a related talk with my 14yo daughter and I don't think she will ever break my heart by running away. But it is tough having a 14yo going on 24yo... 