Human Trafficking News: Jeffrey Epstein
An Opportunity to Spend Some Time Discussing this Very Real Problem in our World
If you're following the Epstein sex trafficking story, where he was involved in the operation of trafficking, recruiting, and abusing young girls that were being recruited by other young girls, that's a good sign. That means people are finally hearing about this reality. The story is horrible beyond belief, but I'm glad you are following it.
First of all, please stop thinking about “who” did it. Seriously. Just stop and let's take a breath. Okay?
Let's do this together. This is not “about” politics – it's an opportunity to spend some time discussing this very real problem in our world. Let's breathe. Yes, I'm doing this and saying this while I type it.
In… Out… Forgetting about politics.
In… Out… Only thinking about the children.
In… Out… Now thinking about society.
You may know I've spent almost three years going deep into the rabbit hole of this epidemic and I have to tell you that it's worse than you can possibly imagine. Really. The statistics aren't anywhere near accurate, and so so so many people don't (or won't) report anything, so whatever you believe may be happening, even if you only imagine it's happening to a few hundred people, let's just leave it there and not worry about the numbers. Let's talk about how it works.
Traffickers play on our human need for acceptance and love. The system they use manipulates victims into complacency and then snaps shut around them.
There are three main aspects to trafficking. There's SUPPLY. It feeds the DEMAND. And virtually no one is PROSECUTED.
The question is… where does the supply come from? It comes from everywhere. Literally everywhere. This could be a grandmother selling her grandson. A father selling his daughter. A high schooler selling another high schooler. Or it can be even more complicated.
How can this happen? Think of it like this… it's their business. And DEMAND is everywhere, 24 hours a day.
Some pimps have a sophisticated operation where they have multiple “recruiters” that find children for the operation. They find the supply. The more abstraction between the victim and the pimp, the easier it is to avoid prosecution.
The connection between human trafficking and social media being used to groom and recruit persons needs to be called out as well. Children with access to the internet are also exposed for these victimizers.
The Epstein case is going to make a lot of people question all of these systems. You should understand how this works.
Every, and I mean EVERY child you know is a potential victim. They aren't going to be “taken” by a panel van in a parking lot (it does happen, but is incredibly unlikely). The pimp isn't (necessarily) going to stand under a streetlight and convince your kid to sell their body for money.
It's more likely they may be “groomed” by someone. And it may be over a period of YEARS. Someone comes into their life and slowly changes the way they feel. They manipulate them. Slowly. They may introduce them to pornography or drugs. They may turn them on their parents. They may buy them nice things. They may have met at school, a family gathering, or online. Or in a game. Or they may be extorted by any number of ways.
After 3 years in this “field,” I have learned that the only way you can end the supply is to educate, educate, educate people about how to stay safe, know what to look for, and what to do if something is happening.
I've watched as the reporting of trafficking grows, the # of groups in the fight grows, and the word about trafficking being “a thing” on the news is actually growing. Unfortunately I'm not seeing a growth in prosecutions.
Most disturbingly, I am NOT seeing is a concerted effort to educate kids and stop the SUPPLY.
I've always believed if you see something, you should say something. And if you can, you should DO something.
That's what I'm doing. Educating kids, parents, teachers, and ANYONE that will listen. It's the only way for children to survive.
Get educated at pbjlearning.com
Can you think of any way your children, or the children of others you know, are vulnerable to grooming? Here are a few…
- Lack of appropriate attention from family members
- Possessing a cell phone
- Internet access
- Social media
- Photos put online
- Have a family
- Don't have a family
- Access to or early use of drugs, sex, or pornography (back to every cell phone)
I'd love to hear what you have to say about the topic of trafficking. This particular case with Epstein is not special. It's just very obvious, and it gives us a place to start.
Please forget about WHO is implicated.
Think about the problem and how it persists at every level of society. Think about how your children are going to learn about this problem. How are they going to know how to resist a recruiter?
Do you have a plan for your kids? If not… Get one.
Does your school have a plan to educate their / your children? If not… DEMAND one and be certain it is based upon evidence, facts, and data.
Tell us about your plan in the comments!
ABOUT PBJ LEARNING
PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.
More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.
This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.
ABOUT PBJ LEARNING
PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.
More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.