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| Courtesy of Child Trafficking |
Sex trafficking for American children has spiraled out of control. Every year over 100,000 victims are trafficked and forced to work on street corners, through websites, and in brothels.
“Child sex trafficking of American children into prostitution has become a national epidemic. The average age an American child is first bought and sold for sex is 12-13 years old,” stated Change.org. “While they are being repeatedly sold to men and raped, they often suffer from violence, trauma, sexually transmitted infections, substance abuse, and long-term health problems.”
This can lead to a vicious cycle of violence and continued abuse for these children. If they do not receive the proper care and rehabilitation, some children often become the abuser.
Today, access to young children seems to be easier than ever, especially with online sites such as Craigslist. Before the adult-services section was eliminated off of the Craigslist site predators were a click away from soliciting the services of an adult or child prostitute. The scary thought is that many have already succeeded in ordering a prostitute and will continue to unless a solution is made.
“A big part of the problem with Craigslist, we believe it actually increased the number of women being put into prostitution,” said Ken Franzblau, director of the anti-trafficking program at the women’s rights NGO Equality Now. Even though the adult-services section was cancelled it does not prevent men from diverting to additional avenues to find a girl.
This shows how much precedence sites like Craigslist have on the sex industry. “Craigslist was the go-to place,” said Malika Saada Saa, the founder of The Rebecca Project for Human Rights.
Many of the exploited children are runaways or throwaways that somehow linked up with a pimp or were kidnapped by one and sold into the sex industry. Internet sex trafficking brings large profits for pimps with a lower risk of getting caught then street prostitution.
There is an urgent need for a solution to help get these young children off of the streets and into a safe environment where they can receive proper care and rehabilitation services.
We can start by supporting the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victim Support Act of 2010 (H.R. 5575). “If passed, the bill will award six block grants to state or local entities who have a plan to investigate, prosecute and deter sex trafficking, while at the same time providing special services and shelter to victims. It would also help local law enforcement reach out to at-risk populations, like runaway and homeless youth, before the pimps do. And it would help fill the massive gap between the number of children being exploited in America and the number of shelter beds ready for them,” stated Change.org. Let’s support our American victims.
Send your US Representative a letter to show your support of H.R. 5575 today by taking action here.
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