DVIS hosts a discussion on human trafficking for parents and guardians | News | fox23.com

TULSA, Okla. — Parents in Tulsa are being warned to look for signs that their child might be the target of human trafficking.

A public discussion was held Tuesday evening to raise awareness and give parents advice on what to watch out for in case their child is being targeted.

Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS) hosted the discussion and said it's very important for parents to monitor technology their children are using and report any worries to the police.

Gabrielle Martin is 18 years old, but when she was 12, she was targeted on Snapchat.

“I didn't know what to do. This guy who I thought was a kid at my school, this guy who I thought was my friend, and he's asking me for all these inappropriate things and threats,” Martin said.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there were 99 cases of human trafficking in Oklahoma in 2021, 77 of them were labelled sex trafficking.

DVIS said they're seeing more and more young people who are falling victim.

Tracey Lyall, the CEO of DVIS, said the average age of a person lured into human trafficking is between 12 and 14 and that it does happen in Tulsa.

“This is becoming a multi-million dollar criminal industry, essentially,” Lyall explained. “So I think it's just time for everyone to pay attention, that human trafficking is happening in our city, and we can help prevent our youth from being involved in that.”

Experts and law enforcement highlighted the signs parents should look out for when protecting their children.

They said it affects both boys and girls and are calling for parents to monitor their kids phones and computers.

Annie Bast, the mother of an 8-year-old girl, was at Tuesday's discussion.

“She does have the tablet and a lot of the apps that they talked about, so I think those are going to be looked at a little closer and a lot more secure settings are going to be set up in that for her safety,” Bast said.

Martin said she wants to make sure, unlike her, other young people aren't targeted.

“The only thing that saved me was my mom taking my phone and going through it and going to the police about it, and they did what they needed to do and found what they needed to find and it won't get better unless you get help,” she encouraged.

They're calling on parents to keep tabs on who their kids' friends are and who they're talking to online.

They also mention watching out for kids who are becoming disconnected from family and friends.

Tuesdays discussion as just one in a series that DVIS is hosting, the next one is in April about sexual violence.

Contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or report a crime to Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS.