More and more children are being lured out of their homes, away from their families, and into a dark world that no one should ever be a victim to. Children are being harbored, transported, and recruited for the purposes of labor services, exploitation and sex commercialing. This is called trafficking of a minor. Child trafficking is rapidly becoming one of the largest criminal industries in the world and American children are being denied their opportunities to reach their full potential every day. Our country cannot simply ignore this with the social impact this leaves on thousands of families that are unaware of what is going on right in their backyard. The government, both federal and state, needs to raise the awareness of child trafficking and our law enforcement needs to make it a higher priority to stop this injustice and bring children back to their homes. Today’s modern day slavery is at an all-time high, 1.2 million children are being trafficked every year becoming imprisoned, sexually abused, or an employee for hard labor. This is not only happening in foreign countries but in America as well, children who run away or stray too far from their homes are being kidnapped and taken away. This goes against a child’s well-being and it’s a violation to their rights as a citizen to the United States, not to mention the psychological damage these kids experience. These predators prefer young children because of their “nimble fingers” and they are less likely to demand for higher wages. Children are always going to be vulnerable whether we want them to be or not.
When found, a child goes through a protection program which identifies the victim and places them in a safe environment, provides social services, and reintegrates them with their family. How many children are rescued, recovered, brought back to their families? The answer is not enough. Pennsylvania formed the End Sex Trafficking Act of 2013 which clarifies that federal law ensure that buyers of sex from minors and other trafficked victims are arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to jail. The PROTECT act of 2003 intends to protect children from abuse and sexual exploitation but is this enough? These acts don’t seem to make a difference in the number of children disappearing against their will, so what can? Awareness, if parents and family members were to become more aware about human trafficking and the risk their children face every day then it could make a huge difference. Communities could have fundraisers at elementary schools or raise awareness of child trafficking through a sports teams competition by handing out flyers. Not only would we pay more attention to our children but everyone wouldn’t be oblivious to the dangers lurking around the corner. More states should also pass these acts as well, not only would it raise awareness everywhere but it would create more demand from law enforcement to bring trafficking higher on their priority list.
According to a report released last year by California attorney General Kamala Harris, Americans make up 72 percent of human trafficking victims. The United States law enforcement has many duties to take care of on a daily basis, they have so many concerns dealing with traffic accidents, murders, robberies, etc. but where does trafficking become a part of their day? Trafficking is not always on the top of the “to-do” list for our local police departments, but making child trafficking a higher priority would also help put this rising number of missing children slowly to rest. If they were more concerned about preventing these trades between traffickers, who send children all over the world from China to Africa or Asia, they could help prevent these victims from ever leaving their home. With enough dedication, hard work, and focus on this issue, children could face less and less dangers every day and can play outside without worrying who could be waiting for them to walk down a certain street or without thinking about being snatched up by a truck passing by. Our trusted law enforcers should always be on high alert for traffickers to help better protect citizens of the United States. Yes, children are also citizens of the United States, people who are having their lives taken from them and their rights ripped away from them. No longer will they be able to have the opportunity to truly reach their full potential, some people may lose the motivation to live a better life or others no longer see their future or dreams to chase after, children lose hope and sense of what they deserve in this life. It’s as simple as spreading awareness through families, friends of friends, members of clubs, anyone in your area because all it takes is someone recognizing a weird exchange or a person acting strange to try to kidnap a child. Don’t forget the impact it brings to child’s life and a parent’s life as well. They need protection and to feel comfortable where they live. Law enforcer’s everywhere could play a huge part in securing safety, searching for signs of traffickers, and providing actions to get these predators off the streets. Everyone wants to feel safe in their home and with the comfort of their families, no child should grow up being sold as a sex slave or used for their “nimble fingers” and innocence.