By Sean Morrison, Founder and CEO of Morrison Security, Inc.
When I ask parents and community leaders what they think of the phrase “human trafficking,” many of them mention vague news stories they heard about taking place abroad. Yet the cruel reality is that trafficking of young women for sex is taking place a lot closer to home, specifically right here in Atlanta, Georgia.
According to a report released by The Urban Institute, Atlanta’s is one of the eight cities most involved in sex trafficking and has continued to grow since 2003. With the rise of online technology, we have seen a decline in street prostitution but it still prevails in Atlanta. According to Business Insider, the report found Atlanta still has a “very high and extremely profitable” demand for street prostitution. This demand could come from out of town or the suburbs, as Atlanta has major highways running through it, including I-75, I-85, and I-285.
Why is it that Atlanta and other cities with similar demographics are at such a risk? The answer is simpler than you may think. First of all, cities in general have a much greater crime rate than smaller communities and crime feeds on crime. We often see human trafficking tied into narcotics use and often gang culture. Men use young women to pay off gambling or drug debts. Conventions and concerts present a large market for sex trafficking. Another reason for Atlanta being a “high risk” city is the sports culture that thrives there. Sporting events are a huge opportunity for pimps to bring in girls from all over the country and offer them to the clients in town.
Our firm actually rescued a girl who had been brought to Atlanta to be sold at a Falcons’ game. The girl was from a good family in the northern Chicago suburbs but she had fallen in with a local Hispanic gang and disappeared. Using our investigative team and our tracing technology, we were able to trace her first to Milwaukee and then to Atlanta where we ultimately reunited her with her family. Nothing is more rewarding than that moment when you see a family reunited for the first time.
One of the biggest things for families to be aware of is that often girls are lured into sex trafficking over a period of time and through a very predictable sequence of events. Parents need to be on the lookout to make sure that normal activity or behavior doesn’t change with their minor daughter. If your child gets a new iPhone or iPad that you didn’t buy, question them as to where the phones came from. And be prepared to detect deception: sex traffickers often look for women who are likely to fall prey and fall for deception. Similar to online predators, these new ‘friends’ your child has made may be turning your child against your family and mentally manipulating the people who love the victims the most.
This may seem like a lot to process, but it is a reality we have to face. And the good news is that there are ways to protect yourself and your family against sex trafficking. At my organization, we always tell families to talk with their children about the real threat that exists with sex trafficking of minors and explain to them that there are predators out there that will drug them or talk to kidnap them. Here are a few things we recommend for families:
- It is imperative for girls to be extremely aware of their surroundings especially when going into social engagements meaning parties and the like. If you feel like you are in danger you may really be in danger (trust your intuition) and protect yourself by leaving immediately or don’t communicate with strangers. Our recommendation to all girls is to be careful of whom you are communicating with (i.e. strangers via the Internet or social media) as you never really know who they are or what the real intent is.
- Young women need to beware of letting their guard down, even when with friends and family members in social activities. A very common technique is the drugging/or spiking of a soft drink or alcohol drink. Always tell a family member or friend where you were going to and with whom in case you do become a missing person.
- Explain to your daughters and your sons (we are seeing more and more cases with young boys) that this is a crime that is blind to race, religion, gender and blind to social status. Every minor is a potential victim of a predator. Also encourage them to tell you about any friends or any other minors they know that may be ensnared in this world. The best way to prevent sex trafficking is to shine a light on it; the general population needs to learn about the real danger. It is vital that we raise the general overall awareness of this danger.
- Train your family and friends mentally; tell them that God forbid they should fall victim to this, they should do everything they can to escape and to contact their parents or the police. If they only have a few seconds, simply dial 911 on a phone and put it down and it can alert police of their location. If they see a fire alarm, pull it without hesitation.
- Trust your instincts if you feel nervous about a place or situation and get out.
We must be vigilant and we must be on the lookout for signs that a location or situation may be dangerous. Do not be embarrassed to talk to your daughters and even your sons about the potential threat of becoming a victim of a predator at risk of being kidnapped and trapped in the trafficking world of child exploitation. Our hope at Morrison Security is that if we can raise enough awareness about this issue, we can prevent further tragedies from happening. We have already solved well over one hundred cases in the last three years working for families and with law enforcement authorities in the US and internationally.
To learn more visit www.operationrestoringinnocence.org and www.Morrisonsecurity.com.
