Posts Tagged ‘predators’

SAFETY & PREVENTION: Domestic Sex Trafficking Does Exist in the U. S.

Monday, January 24th, 2011

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Dr. Carrie Baker (left) Michelle Sigona (right) photo courtesy "Expressions of Eden Photography," Kimberly Elliott

Dr. Carrie Baker (left) Michelle Sigona (right) photo courtesy "Expressions of Eden Photography," Kimberly Elliott

I had the opportunity to travel to Portland, Oregon recently to be a part of a movement that is shaking communities and changing the way the public views domestic sex trade in America.  The Soroptimist Northwest Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NWCAT) organized and held their third annual conference.  I was honored to be a part of their event as a presenter on Child/Adult/Identity Internet and Technology Safety.  Along with the workshop, I attended training on domestic human trafficking, met survivors of this underground world, learned from the experts in this industry and more importantly became energized to make a difference in my own city and state. 

The phrase “human trafficking” may be something we’ve heard and maybe it was a phrase we stored into the “that doesn’t affect me category”; the same category that we associated with, “this is something that is an international problem and isn’t happening in American communities.”  Actually, this is a problem in our own towns, one that we may not see on the surface and one that is directly affecting children and teens in America.

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REPORTING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

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According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, people who have legitimate access to children are some of the same individuals who are producing child pornography. It is a federal crime to have child porn in your possession. The Cyber Tipline was created to report these types of crimes against children. You can call the tip center with information on people who manufacture, distribute or have child pornography in their possession. If you know of children who are being recruited for these disgusting acts, please report that to the tip line as well. It is also a federal crime to send obscene material to any child under the age of 16. Take a look at the helpful information under the Cyber Tipline to understand more about protecting the youth.

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KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE FROM PREDATORS

Monday, March 8th, 2010

take25_bmp2_You can host a TAKE 25 event right in your own community to help educate children and parents on safety.  This program, offered by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children aspires to get communities across America involved and to hopefully prevent abductions.  It was created in honor of National Children’s Day to encourage parents and guardians to take 25 minutes to educate their children about safety topics.  The goal is to help children make better decisions in life, set limitations on what they do, and give parents and guardians the tools they need.  Some of the topics covered are Internet, school, out and about, and at home safety.  Take a few moments to read more about Take 25 and consider becoming a volunteer or hosting a program in your own neighborhood.

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CHILD PROSTITUTION PREVENTION

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

The FBI Crimes Against Children division is stacked with specialized agents in child safety to accomplish two main goals:

1-      Innocence Lost initiative – To prevent child prostitution, and take down the “pimp” predators.

2-      CARD Team – To rapidly deploy a CARD Team anywhere in the country to provide expertise and assist law enforcement during the most critical time period following abduction.

INNOCENCE LOST INITIATIVE

innonce-lost-initativebanner31The Innocence Lost initiative specifically works to take down predators who are pimping out children for money.  The goal is not only to take down the bad guy during undercover sting operations, but more importantly to safely take the children out of the environment.   According to the FBI, there is a nationwide domestic child prostitution problem in which young girls are losing their innocence and held captive in a horrific lifestyle.  The misconception by some is that this form of child prostitution only occurs overseas, but in reality, if there is adult prostitution in a community, there is probably child prostitution going on as well. This project began in June 2003 in conjunction with the Department of Justice Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Another goal is to tackle the growing problem of child prostitution and sex trafficking, specifically in the United States.  Since its inception in 2003, with 37 task forces in place, there have been nearly 900 successful recoveries and more than 525 convictions.   

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