Rapides groups commit to working together to fight child trafficking – The Town Talk

The Children's Advocacy Network has worked for years with law enforcement − investigators to prosecutors − to combat child abuse. A new law will expand that model to include child trafficking.

Trafficking happens in Rapides Parish, and it often doesn't look like what people see in television or movies. What's much more common is online exploitation and trafficking by family members, said Rachel Austin, CAN's regional child and youth trafficking coordinator.

“The symptoms and the red flags aren't always as obvious to people,” she said.

The Louisiana Legislature passed a bill during its last session that became Act 662, which designates all children's advocacy centers in the state as the lead in care coordination for child trafficking victims and those at risk of trafficking.

It takes effect on Jan. 1, 2023.

On Wednesday, CAN representatives hosted a signing for its memorandum of understanding with parish and municipal partners.

Ashley Rubin, the program director for CAN's Children's Advocacy Center, told the crowd that, once the bill was signed into law, the enormity of making it a reality hit her.

She and her team began contacting those people and organizations needed to provide services, from Families in Need of Service (FINS) providers to mental-health and housing providers to educators to life skills coaches and more.

Rubin told those gathered what they will do through the agreement could “help promote healing and some form of justice for the victims.” She thanked the partners for their help and patience while CAN held multiple meetings to nail down specifics.

Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood credited the organization for the early work, saying agencies from other areas of the state have reached out to them for assistance in setting up their own services.

‘Big heart for children': Girl uses design to raise money for foster kids

Human trafficking: Local groups learning so they can educate Cenla on trafficking issues

CAN's Executive Director Kendra Gauthier said Rapides is probably the first parish in the state to be ready for the new law. She said the protocol puts a process in place for handling child trafficking cases.

“It really holds everyone accountable, lets everyone know what our responsibility is and response to a case, and how we handle that going forward,” she said.

Gauthier said it is similar to how the organization handles child abuse cases with its multi-disciplinary team. She said the law tasks the state's Department of Children and Families with receiving all reports of child trafficking, whether or not the victims' parents are involved.

She said that makes DCFS the agency that receives reports and works with law enforcement, while children's advocacy centers provide forensic interviews, assistance for investigators and help for victims.

And providing help for these victims can be especially tough because they might know and love those who trafficked them, Austin said.

Trafficking rarely starts immediately, she said. Perpetrators take time to make victims comfortable with them or provide things they want. Or, if the perpetrator is a family member, the victim thinks what they're forced to do is just how they earn and show love.

Perpetrators often seek victims with low self-esteem, she said. The COVID-19 pandemic meant many kids were online a lot more than usual, which she said provided a perfect opportunity for traffickers to befriend and manipulate children.

“And then, over a period of time, they start to exploit them,” Austin said. “And so, these children feel like it's their own choice, at this point, or that this is what love is, this is what I have to do for someone to love me.”

Family members who traffic children do so for a variety of reasons − profit, something of value, drugs, rent, among other things, she said.

“It's not always as visible or as obvious as people think it is,” she said.