Child Trafficking is a real issue throughout every state and abroad. Domestic trafficking of children is on the rise. As local, state and federal agencies implement practices to combat human trafficking, illicit organizations continue profit from the ugliest of criminal acts.
Protecting children from these predators must start with education of both families and the child. Learning how trafficking is initiated, executed and those specifically targeted for exploitation is critical to protecting our children. Knowledge of the signs and symptoms of targeting, grooming and children in need is something we all must gain. There is a lot of solid resources available to gain such knowledge; it's up to parents, teachers and adults with child interest to determine the best course of action to facilitate learning.
CSP Protective Services is partnered with Veterans for Child Rescue (non-profit, 501C-3)and its founder; Craig "Sawman" Sawyer and his team of dedicated professionals to assist in fighting the trafficking of America's children.
Their Mission: Expose & Eradicate Child Trafficking
Veterans For Child Rescue (V4CR) is a 5O1C3 nonprofit organization that was founded in April of 2017. The team is comprised of military professionals, former and current law enforcement, senior intelligence community veterans, child abuse and trafficking survivors, and people who are willing to do whatever it takes to end child trafficking in the USA.
Learn more about V4CR at: https://vets4childrescue.org and check out their educational resources (Knowledge is Power and the first step in protecting our children).
While the criminal element employ technology to target and exploit, so too can parents use developed technology to assist in protecting their children. One such app has recently developed and provided free of charge by a federal agency. The FBI has developed a fee app that provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and other vital information about your children so that it’s literally right at hand if you need it. You can show the pictures and provide physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot. Using a special tab on the app, you can also quickly and easily e-mail the information to authorities with a few clicks.
The app includes tips on keeping children safe as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing. It features a password protection option to help keep your information safe and allows you to add pictures from your mobile phone’s image library. You can also zoom in and crop images prior to saving.
The app is available for download on iPhones through iTunes and on Android phones through Google Play.
An important note: The FBI is not collecting or storing any photos or information that you enter in the app. All data resides solely on your mobile device unless you need to send it to authorities. Please read your mobile provider’s terms of service for information about the security of applications stored on your device. Pls check it out. Remember, The Time to have a Plan is not when a Plan is Needed.
The rise in Human trafficking is cause for alarm. Learn to recognize the symptoms, learn the signals, educate and make aware yourself, others and especially the children of this phenomenon. Consider getting off the bench and getting into the fight. This is a fight we can all support and one we must win.