Photo courtsey www.restlessbeings.org
The murder of Shaniya Davis in North Carolina last fall raises the issue of child prostitution in the United States. For those who may not know, Shaniya’s own mother, Antoinette Davis, is charged with Human Trafficking, allegedly prostituting her own child. Antoinette was released on a $51,000 bond a few weeks ago and is set to appear in court sometime next month. This case is enough to make anyone sick.
The U.S. Department of Justice says, “it is estimated that about 293,000 American youth are currently at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation.” The report goes on to say that “children are mainly recruited into prostitution through forced abduction, pressure from parents, or through deceptive agreements between parents and traffickers.”
I cannot understand why anyone, especially a parent, would want to do this to their child… Aren’t parents supposed to protect their children for life? Investigators told me early into this investigation that Antoinette may have sold Shaniya to pay off a drug debt.
Through all of this, I would like your input. The goal is to highlight the best programs in the United States that help to protect children from this trade and to make communities aware of the resources.
Tags: American youth, Antoinette Davis, child prostitution, Human Trafficking, programs to help, shaniya davis, U.S. Department of Justice, united states
What can we as a nation do to pass a universal law where all rapist and child killers can be castrated and given the death penalty for crimes such as Shaniyas, or any victim whether it’s a child or adult?
Some of these predators travel overseas for children as well we need to act quickly. This has to stop. These criminals also traffic children and adults into prostitution. Enough is Enough!
The FBI has the Innocence Lost initiative. I think you wrote about them a few weeks ago.
I and a group of women who met on the Justice for Shaniya facebook page are wanting to start a program to help children that are in danger. We’ve thought about having safe places for them to go staffed with volunteers and an easy number for them to dial, like 311 to be rescued. We would love some assistance in getting this set up.
Terriann, your suggestion is awesome. I live in Florida and would love to join you and your friends to help start this program. It seems that so many of these sick predators live and prey in Florida. I have a degree in Social Work and would love to communicate with you and brainstorm ideas and suggestions. My feeling is that if enough of us get together and start some sort of safe program we can all be part of the solution instead of the problem. I would love to hear from you.