Could your child be at risk of human trafficking?
Lisa Arnold is the director of the feature film Caged No More which aims to raise awareness of and eradicate human trafficking. According to Lisa, one of the myths of human trafficking is that most victims are runaways. However, that is far from the truth.
““There was one family from California doing everything right in life. They loved their daughter so much and were always there for her, so supportive. They were at a Fourth of July celebration in their community and had a young girl approach their daughter and just complimented her on her outfit, told her she was new to the community and asked if they could exchange phone numbers and meet up some time at the mall so she could kind of show around.”
The interaction seemed genuine and innocent, but not everything was as it seemed.
“The next day the mom took the daughter and dropped her off at the mall and their daughter was taken. The girl that she met up with was hired by a pimp to basically find prey.”
23 hours after she was kidnapped, the girl was on the street as a prostitute.
“By the grace of God someone saw her and said this isn’t right, she doesn’t belong here. She was found and all of that happened in the twenty-four-hour period before they even start looking for your child.”
Lisa says that this story is a perfect example of the wide variety of victims who fall prey to human trafficking.
“There are no runaway’s. Yes, a child may choose to leave, but you can bet your bottom dollar that a week in or two weeks in they may have lost that choice. They may no longer have an opportunity to go back home.”
One of the ways parents can be proactive is by being aware of the threat that the internet and social media poses.
“You really have to have your guard up and with social media it’s so to get our kids these days, you need to do a lot but it needs to start with a conversation.”
Lisa says that one of the best things we can do is be aware of the signs of human trafficking right in our own community.
“All of us need to be educated on the signs and what to look for so that we’re recognizing when a child is trafficked right before us. Because if you’re traveling at all it’s probably happening right under your nose and you just don’t have an idea of what to look for.”
Featured songs: No Longer Slaves by Bethel Music; Believe by All Things New; Sinking Ships by Lincoln Brewster
