[ot-caption title=”California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who as a prosecutor once specialized in child sexual assault cases addressed the Domestic Human Trafficking symposium in Los Angeles, Friday, April, 25, 2014. (via, Damian Dovarganes, AP Photo)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/htf.jpg”]

Imagine this: Each year, 100 to 300 children, ages 12-18, are trafficked in the United States, and one in every three girls will be recruited by pimps within 48 hours of hitting the streets.  Sitting across from schools and canvasing social settings, traffickers lure girls into the vicious, global enterprise of human trafficking.

What is human trafficking? According to the UNODC, human trafficking is the recruitment of persons, by means of the threat or use of force for the purpose of sexual exploitation, or forced labor services. More specifically, sex trafficking is when a commercial sex act is induced by force or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under the age of eighteen.

Human trafficking only occurs in Third World countries, right? Incorrect! Florida is #3 in the country for human trafficking calls, and Broward County is #1 in the state.

This can’t happen to a student like me, can it? It could! Traffickers and pimps in South Florida inspect and observe bus stations, malls, and schools as they pick out loners and bullied girls. Their manipulative tactics allow these criminals to prey upon children’s insecurities and low self-esteems in order to lure girls in by pretending to care and protect them. As a matter of fact, data collection illustrates that the vast majority of children recruited to be sexually exploited have previously been in foster care, have had a delinquent history, have had a runaway history, are substance abusers, or have had a history of abuse.

I feel empowered to stand up against human trafficking! How can I help? You can donate or volunteer with the Broward Human Trafficking Coalition (http://www.bhtc.us), or join the fight with these movements: www.HalfTheSkyMovement.org , www.GirlUp.org , or www.GirlRising.com.