Local anti-human trafficking coalition observes worldwide awareness day
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (July 29, 2024) – Tusc Against Trafficking is using a global occasion to draw attention to its mission.
Coordinator Amanda Baxter says Tuesday is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
“This year the theme is ‘No Child Left Behind’ and so we really just want to put the word out there about how prominent it is in rural areas with child trafficking.”
Certain factors make youth more susceptible to being trafficked including recent migration or relocation, addiction, abuse, and homelessness, although Baxter says other kids can be at risk, too.
“If they’re becoming more withdrawn or if they’re spending a lot of time online because online is a big form of recruitment… if they’re getting random gifts, if they’re being kind of secretive about who they’re talking to online, that kind of stuff.”
She didn’t have the exact figures handy but emphasized that human trafficking can and does occur in our area.
“A lot of people when they hear human trafficking, they think about the movie ‘Taken,’ for example. But what’s really most common is somebody can be trafficked and still come home and be at the dinner table at night.”
For more about the coalition and its efforts, visit TuscAgainstTrafficking.org or check out their Facebook page. To report suspected trafficking, contact COMPASS at 330-339-1427, the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or local law enforcement if there’s an immediate danger.