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.