How Can Communities and Nations Eradicate Sex Trafficking?

Families, communities, and nations are stronger when they are alert to the dark practices that take place in the shadows of our society. One such practice started as a trickle but has now become a plague of shocking proportions. It was fully exposed in the movie “Sound of Silence.” Armstrong Williams wrote the following about the “pandemic of sex trafficking and child sex trafficking.” 

In the hushed corners of our society, a sinister industry flourishes, largely hidden and unspoken of. It’s an issue so shocking and perplexing that people tend to ignore it when brought to light. This is the pandemic of sex trafficking and child sex trafficking. One might presume that in a civilized, developed nation like the United States, such a crime would be promptly detected, prosecuted, and eradicated. Yet, this is far from the truth.

Sex trafficking thrives within our borders, and its true extent remains largely unknown. Prosecutors seldom uncover the crimes of traffickers, and sometimes, alarmingly, they choose to overlook them.

Consider the notorious case of Jeffrey Epstein. Despite a substantial federal investigation revealing enough evidence to put him behind bars for several lifetimes, Epstein was barely punished. Instead of dismantling a major human sex trafficking network that would have likely taken down numerous high-profile celebrities and politicians, Epstein received a minor penalty, serving only 13 months in county jail, with the privilege of leaving for work six days a week.

In the United States, nearly 17,000 people are trafficked annually. And that’s all we know of. Estimates from the Department of Health and Human Services suggest this number could range from 240,000 to 325,000.

Each person trafficked represents a terrified, captive individual forced into a life of exploitation. They are sold from one person to another; their tales are unique, compelling, and tragic.

Parents must understand that we live in an evil world where predators seek our children and teenagers to enslave them in the world of sex trafficking. Communities can help by shedding sunlight on the sex trafficking industry. It must be exposed in all its darkness for normal people to understand that it is in our communities or is potentially there. The United States can severely limit sex traffickers by closing its borders. Parents, communities, and nations must work together to eradicate the evil practice of sex trafficking.