A NATIONAL TRAGEDY - CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING IN THE U.S.

Two nights ago I watched a program that was disturbing.
I'm sure it, and some of the articles linked to in this
post will be disturbing to many of you as well.

Two young girls, 14 and 15, cousins, were kidnapped off
the street and forced into prostitution... in Ohio, the United
States. The oldest girl tried to protect the younger, as much
as she was afraid, she stayed strong for her cousin, her
best friend. The 15 year old detailed the brutality, the
threats, and the way her kidnappers, a pimp and his older
prostitutes kept control of them. She spoke of how they were
forced to have sex with married men, men at truck stops,
men who didn't care that they were underage. How they
were taken across state lines into Michigan to make money
for their pimp.

Her ordeal ended when a trucker noticed there were two
under age girls at the truck stop, disgusted, he called it in
to police. However, her cousin, the 14 year old was still
in their kidnapper's custody. They had taken off with her
when the police took the 15 year old out of their control.

She told her mother, and her uncle, father of the 14 year
old, where they'd been held, just 6 miles from home, in
their own home town. The three of them went straight
to the residence and the uncle began banging on the
door and demanding his daughter. The prostitutes
threw the 14 year old girl out of a second story window.
Luckily she wasn't hurt other than some bruises.

The uncle and her mother were being beaten bloody
by the pimp and his two prostitutes. Several calls
from them, as well as from neighbors, more than 7
phone calls in all, elicited no response from police.

The dispatcher said officers were out on other calls more
important. The EMTS and a news crew were on hand
faster than the police. The same police, when the girls
had disappeared, had labeled them "runaways."

The pimp and his prostitutes were charged under Federal
laws and are serving time in prison.

But there are many more children captive within sex rings
here in the United States, as well as overseas.

How many of the children who "disappear," babies, young
girls, and young women have been captured and/or sold into
prostitution slavery? How many boys? One is too many.

The FBI estimates that well over 100,000 children and young
women are trafficked in America today. They range in age from
9 to 19, with the average age being 11.

These pervs who coerce and force the girls, and boys, give
them false names, false id's and stories to tell the police.
They drug, beat them, rape them, have them gang raped.
They threaten to harm their their families if they do not do
what they are told. They break their spirits.

When one pimp calls and says the money is good, they drive
them to whatever city it is. When the heat from police gets
too much, another will call and they'll drive to another city.

Many end up in coastal cities, traveling back and forth across
the nation at their pimp's whim. Mostly, they never know
where they are in relation to their home or location, and with
no way to get free. Many are used up until they're of no use
to a pimp, then they disappear for good, to a lonely grave.

Kidnapped from her own driveway. A young 15 year old is
kidnapped outside her own home, with her mother and siblings
inside.

Officer Greg Scheffer, Phoenix Police Department "So the
Internet for the pimps is a huge benefit for them, because it allows
them to make their money, do what they want to do with these
juveniles or with their prostitutes and have very little contact with
the police."

FBI Deputy Assistant Director, Chip Burrus "These predators
are going where the kids are. "What you can see, time and time again,
is that the predators will adapt their means to whatever the young
people are doing, whether it's malls, whether it's ski slopes, whether it's
beaches..."

Justice.Gov "Pimp-controlled commercial sexual exploitation of children
is linked to escort and massage services, private dancing, drinking and
photographic clubs, major sporting and recreational events, major cultural
events, conventions, and tourist destinations. About one-fifth of these
children become entangled in nationally organized crime networks and
are trafficked nationally. They are transported around the United
States by a variety of means, cars, buses, vans, trucks or planes, and
are often provided counterfeit identification to use in the event of arrest.
The average age at which girls first become victims of prostitution is
12-14. It is not only the girls on the streets that are affected -- for boys
and transgender youth, the average age of entry into prostitution is 11-13. "

Now in the news is a case of Alvin Robertson, a former "NBA
"star" who has been arrested, with 7 others, for forcing a 14 year old girl
into a sex ring. She was forced into sex with men in San Antonio
and Corpus Christie, Texas and into working at a topless bar.

Robertson was arrested in Bentonville, Arkansas. He is married
and with a daughter the same age as the girl forced into the
sex ring. He's had numerous run ins with the law as well as serving
time.

Robertson is charged with trafficking of persons under 18 for prostitution,
sexual assault of a child and sexual performance of a child, all felonies.
Police deem Robertson a "facilitator," meaning he is involved in forcing
the girl into prostitution. He is believed to also have had sex with the
juvenile.


Enslaved in America
To learn more about trafficking laws on a state and local level and
how you can stop sex trafficking, visit the Polaris Project website
at www.PolarisProject.org.

If you know someone that needs help, please call the Dream Catchers
Hotline 24 hours a day 7 days a week: 1-888-229-3339.


Atlanta Journal Constitution

Although the international community has agreed upon a sensible,
comprehensive three-pronged approach to combating trafficking,
often referred to as the three P's. 1. punishment of perpetrators;
2. protection of victims; and 3. prevention. In reality governments
have focused primarily on the first step and, to some extent, on the
second. In the United States, Congress has enacted strong Federal
anti-trafficking laws. Many states have followed suit. Slowly,
victim assistance programs are growing, though much more is needed.

Today, only six states have even one shelter for child victims
of sex trafficking.

BBC AMERICA "It's extremely graphic, most of it's sexual. What we see
is anything from infants all the way up and that comes across
constantly, things that just shock the conscience and the mind."

"A study from the University of Pennsylvania, shows as many as 400,000
youngsters are being sexually exploited, from working as prostitutes on
the streets to selling sex at school for cash. The findings reveal as many
boys as girls suffer from sexual exploitation."

Libertadlatina.org "The articles here below describe one of the largest
known child and youth sex trafficking cases in the United States to date.
In one of several related cases, hundreds of Mexican girls between 7 and
18 were kidnapped or subjected to false romantic entrapment by organized
criminal sex trafficking gangs. Victims were then brought to San Diego
County, California. Over a 10 year period these girls were raped by
hundreds of men per day in more than 2 dozen home based and
agricultural camp based brothels. "

"In Mexico there exists terrible child trafficking in the area of Acapulco,
Guerrero, and that many now call this region "the new Bangkok" of child
sex tourism. Nugent also emphasized that Tijuana [on the U.S. border
with San Diego County] has also become an zone controlled by powerful
child prostitution networks."

A girl met an older boy on My-Space, and agreed to meet at a park.
She ended up in Mexico, alone and unable to get home.
The boy was believed to be linked to a National City gang. Some of these
girls leave with people we suspect to be gang members that do have ties
to organized crime in Mexico." said National City Police Detective, Antonio
Ybarra. None of several other girls believed to be in Mexico has been found.
The farther you go into the interior of Mexico, the more difficult that becomes.
said National City Police Sergeant, Mike Harlan."

Huffington Post "The criminal enterprises that control child trafficking
in America are lead by the notorious Mexican, Colombian, Russian, and
Ukrainian drug cartels working in tandem with their U.S. cells."

WIFR "The International Organization for Adolescents held a public
training to teach signs of human trafficking. Counselors, teachers, social
workers and other members of the community took part in today's
training to learn who's most at risk and the roles you can play to end
human trafficking."

"Illinois has the fifth highest volume in the country for trafficking tips
received by the Federal government."

Shana Wills, Executive Director of International Organization
for Adolescents "The reason that we are one of the hubs is because
clearly with the Chicago airports we've got international airports that
has a lot of trafficking that's coming to and through our cities and suburbs,
but also because we have huge farm industries were we know for a fact
there are a signifact number of trafficking cases.The most suspected
areas for trafficking in the stateline are restaraunts and grocery
stores."

For more information on trafficking or to report human trafficking call
1-888-3737-888.

Fact Sheet for Schools "The children at risk are not just high school
students. Studies demonstrate that pimps prey on victims as young
as 12. "

"Traffickers have been reported targeting their minor victims through
telephone chat-lines, clubs, on the street, through friends, and at malls,
as well as using girls to recruit other girls at schools and after-
school programs."

In cases of immediate emergencies, it is best to call your local police
department or emergency access number. You can report suspected
trafficking crimes or get help by calling the national 24/7 toll-free
Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888.

This center will help you determine if you have encountered a victim of
human trafficking; identify local resources available in your community
to help victims; and coordinate with local social service providers to help
protect and serve victims.

For sexually exploited or abused minors call the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children's (NCMEC) hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST
to be connected with the most appropriate assistance in your area, or you
can report incidents at http://www.cybertipline.org.

You can report suspected instances of trafficking or worker exploitation
by contacting the FBI field office nearest you at
http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm or by contacting the Department
of Justice's Human Trafficking Office at 1-888-428-7581.