Posted on 02/10/2006 7:41:45 AM PST by Sopater
International Sex Trafficking Is a Well-Known Problem, But It Happens Here as Well Feb. 9, 2006 — - Fifteen-year-old "Debbie" is the middle child in a close-knit Air Force family from suburban Phoenix, and a straight-A student -- the last person most of us would expect to be forced into the seamy world of sex trafficking.
But Debbie, which is not her real name, is one of thousands of young American girls who authorities say have been abducted or lured from their normal lives and made into sex slaves. While many Americans have heard of human trafficking in other parts of the world -- Thailand, Cambodia, Latin America and eastern Europe, for example -- few people know it happens here in the United States.
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.
And many victims are no longer just runaways, or kids who've been abandoned. Many of them are from what would be considered "good" families, who are lured or coerced by clever predators, say experts. "These predators are particularly adept at reading children, at reading kids, and knowing what their vulnerabilities are," said FBI Deputy Assistant Director, Chip Burrus, who started the Lost Innocence project, which specializes in child- and teen-sex trafficking.
And, he said, 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," Burrus said. "Predators ... are going to do everything in their power to try to convince young girls, young boys, to come with them and enter this particular lifestyle."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
100,000?
Probably. I have no trouble believing it, but I assume that that number includes the many women and young girls who come here from other countries or brought in for jobs that are non-existent. I don't think that anywhere near that many native-born American women are kidnapped, but I don't doubt that that happens too.
Two things, multicultural immigration has brought in all the worlds moral standards, I'm sure many of us have stories about what we suspect is criminal behavior by some of the businesses we deal with now, for example I never saw one gas station that dealt with cash only, until the middle eastern- americans took over so much of the self serves. Crime like this is more difficult to deal with than, say pre 1970. The second problem is, because of Feminism we quit teaching our girls to protect themselves. Look at pre-sixties America and you will see that females were much better protected by, cultural rules and personal restrictions.
Every one who hurt these girls should be executed. Period.
equating women who voluntarily enter the fields of porno and/or prostitution with those who are involtarily forced into them is disingenuous.
I question the agenda of whomever does this, especially when groups have to skew the definition of sexual harassment (verbal rumors, etc.) in order to show a problem there.
I think that I need to install GPS units under all of my daughters' skin. My teenager hates that I know who all her friends are and who she is IM'ing at any give time. I'm just watching her back and deep down she knows it and appreciates it.
Exactly,
One thing to have sex with a will participant....
with or without money exchangin hands....
But the Johns who have sex with these girls women are just as guilty (if not more so)....if they know, they are damned.
Good for you. Yes, I'm sure she does appreciate it, or will when she gets older.
I recommend "Race Against Evil" by David Race Bannon.
Truth will out.
No, it's Bush's fault, clinton is just a user..
Torture is too good for these people.
Vermont? Massachusetts? At least you won't be hassled by the "man" in those two states if and when you get caught.
I think it's silly and somewhat sick to dismiss this report simply because it came from an ABC reporter.
Being concerned about bias in reporting is one thing. Sticking your head in the sand ONLY because of the source is another thing altogether.
I'm sure it depends upon a variety of factors. Location being one of them. Everytime I read one of these, it always seems to be SoCal, AZ, or FL.
Kids in groups are always going to fare better. Also, you would think that if this had happened as many times as they say, they'd have been able to pick off some surveillance from mall cameras or something in attempting to prevent further instances of solicitation.
Agreed. As well, it's wise to be overly cautious given the downside. That's what I tell my wife constantly.
So True! One day they will stand before the Living God. What a fearful time that will be for them.
This is the FBI's top investigator on human trafficking and his report. Please do not dismiss this problem. It's a problem and being exacerbated by the ease of internet porn and other vices.
We're overly cautious as well. just think, those things I laughed at my parents for suggesting...group dating, etc....are the very things I encourage and enforce with our kids.
This is not fake - it is a true and horrifying story - why we dont execute the aholes is beyond me.
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