The Brown County Community Resource Coordinating Group (CRCG) Coggin Avenue Baptist Church, First Baptist Brownwood, Abundant Life Church, Victory Life Church, Early First Baptist Church and Howard Payne University will be offering information regarding the growing problem of human trafficking at a presentation this weekend. Deena Graves, Executive Director of Traffick911 will present a brief overview of child/human sexual trafficking on Sunday, September 8th at 6 PM at the Victory Life Church in Brownwood.
The presentation titled “Avoiding the Traps of the Trafficker” – Don’t fall prey to Domestic Minor Sexual/Exploitation is designed for girls and boys 10-18 years of age and their parents.
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. It is the fastest-growing crime in the world, with the perpetrators making $32 billion a year buying and selling people for their profit and pleasure. The profits are huge and the risk of being prosecuted is slim- the United Nations says 99% of victims are never rescued.
On July 31, 2013, the FBI conducted raids in 76 cities in the U.S. – arresting 150 people.
Domestic minor sex trafficking is the buying and selling of America’s own children. Federal law defines domestic minor sex trafficking as the exchange of a sex act for anything of value.
While it is true that there are children who are at higher risk for becoming a victim, such as runaways and throwaways, all American children are at risk. Gangs and the Mexican cartels are sending recruiters into Texas schools to find victims. Children are kidnapped. People they know are selling them and threatening their families if they tell. Sometimes their own families sell them.
A lack of awareness in the country, coupled with the explosion of the Internet, makes the job of the pimp and the recruiter extremely easy and the job of law enforcement extremely difficult. The scope of this horrific crime seems impossible, but each person can make a difference by teaching their own children about the traps of traffickers and knowing the red flags to watch for in other children.
For more information call Aaron or Christy at 325-646-3420 or visit www.traffick911.com for more information.