A PERSPECTIVE ON
HUMAN AND SEX TRAFFICKING )` :OHUL 3L^PZ 3VJHS (K]VJH[L
;OL -)0 LZ[PTH[LZ ^LSS V]LY JOPSKYLU HUK `V\UN ^VTLU HYL [YHMĂ„JRLK PU (TLYPJH [VKH` ;OL` YHUNL PU HNL from 9 to 19, with the average age being 11. The victims are both foreign and domestic. There are an estimated 16,000 to ^VTLU HUK NPYSZ ^OV HYL ]PJ[PTZ VM ZL_ [YHMĂ„JRPUN PU *OPJHNV HUK 5VY[O^LZ[ 0UKPHUH HSVUL 1 -VY L]LY` ZJLUHYPV `V\ VY 0 JV\SK KYLHT \W HZ [V OV^ [OLZL JOPSKYLU HYL [YHMĂ„JRLK [OLYL HYL O\UKYLKZ TVYL [OH[ ^L JHUUV[ L]LU PTHNPUL >L OH]LUÂť[ ZLLU [OL ^HYUPUN ZPNUZ ILJH\ZL ^L HYLUÂť[ SVVRPUN MVY [OLT ;YHMĂ„JRPUN PZ UV[ PU WSHPU view for most of us, but it is going on all around us! ;YHMĂ„JRLYZ NL[ [V JOPSKYLU LP[OLY I` MVYJL RPKUHWWPUN YVTHUJL WYL[LUKPUN [V ^HU[ H YLSH[PVUZOPW JVLYJPVU VMMLYPUN them a high-paying job in another city), or befriending them as runaways. Statistically, a runaway girl has a window of ten minutes on the street before she is approached by someone with bad intentions. ;OL KYP]PUN MVYJL ILOPUK ZL_ [YHMĂ„JRPUN PZ TVUL` :HKS` [OL ZLSSPUN VM NPYSZ HUK `V\UN ^VTLU PZ H WHY[PJ\SHYS` WYVĂ„[HISL I\ZPULZZ ILJH\ZL [OL WYVK\J[ JHU IL YLZVSK THU` [PTLZ ;YHMĂ„JRPUN OHZ ILLU PKLU[PĂ„LK HZ [OL MHZ[LZ[ NYV^PUN JYPTPUHS PUK\Z[Y` PU [OL ^VYSK >VYSK^PKL [YHMĂ„JRPUN PZ [OL ZLJVUK SHYNLZ[ JYPTPUHS HJ[P]P[` HM[LY [OL KY\N [YHKL 2 ;OL J\Z[VTLYZ VM [OPZ MHZ[ NYV^PUN L]PS HYL KP]LYZL PU [OLPY [YHKL Ă„UHUJPHS JSHZZ NLVNYHWOPJHS HYLH HUK YLSPNPVU ;OL` are the kind of people you would expect, as well as many you would never imagine. The customers make their contacts with the victims at truck stops, massage parlors, so-called “gentlemen’sâ€? clubs, Z[YLL[ JVYULYZ HUK [OL 0U[LYUL[ 6M[LU [PTLZ [OL [YHMĂ„JRLYZ [HRL V\[ HKZ VU *YHPNZSPZ[3 and Backpage4 to promote their services. Although prostitution is illegal, both in Indiana and Illinois, the advertisements seem to make it clear as to what is being offered and often number in the thousands. Some of these ads are most likely offered by women, who for whatever reason are prostituting themselves 7OV[V I` 2L]PU :TP[O willingly. Knowing that there are at least 16,000 victims in our area, it’s safe to assume that many of the ads are selling the victims of human trafĂ„JRPUN :L_ [YHMĂ„JRPUN HSTVZ[ HS^H`Z PU]VS]LZ TV]LTLU[ 6I]PV\ZS` H The Lewis family adopted four girls from an Eastern European orphanage to rescue them from a potentially harmful future.
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