Human Trafficking - Did you Know?

by Oklahomans Against Trafficking Humans (O.A.T.H.)

Most people think that human trafficking here in the U.S. is mainly about the abduction or kidnapping of children. This misconception happens because the majority of news reports and Hollywood movies only focus on these abduction stories due to the shock and fear factor that these cases have.
The other big misconception that most of us have is that this only happens in other countries or to the “illegal aliens” that come here from those impoverished nations.
Even professionals that work as law enforcement, prosecutors and judges have misconceptions that this is all about smuggling people in and out of our nation. Human trafficking and smuggling are two different things.

Less than 1% of these cases involve “Stranger Danger” abductions. Kidnapping is actually very rare according to the FBI. Of the 2 million missing kids last year, only about 150 to 200 were stranger abductions.

Over 98% The majority of sexual abuse of women and children happens by someone they know and the family trust. “Relationship Danger” is what we need to be teaching to our kids.

Average age 12-14 The average age when a girl is recruited by a pimp/trafficker and forced into sex trafficking here in America is 13.

#1 Problem FBI says that the #1 way that sexual predators find their young victims now is Online through Social Networking sites. The Internet is the “new playground” where our kids meet new friends! A recent study found that 1/3 of all kids online have talked with people they don’t really know about meeting in person… making them extremely vulnerable to being exploited.

“Boyfriends” The majority of people that become victims of human trafficking are recruited by someone they meet that takes time to gain their trust through romance and entices the victim to come away with them… only to abuse and exploit them for profit once they are out of their familiar surroundings.

New Girlfriends The next way a pimp/trafficker finds and recruits young girls is through a teen girl that they have already abused and brainwashed. This is very effective because girls trust their girl friends and go with them without suspecting something terrible is about to happen.

Family Member Abuser The most shocking of all is when a mom or dad trades their own child for drugs. This is known as ‘Intimate Partner Trafficking’, where the pimp/trafficker is not a gang banger, pedophile or stranger – but a trusted member of the family.