The issue of sex trafficking has been on my heart (and a lot of others’ hearts) for some years now, and it came to the forefront of my mind when I listened to the above-titled two-part Focus on the Family radio program. Here’s the link to Part One of the audio broadcast (hopefully the audio will work (you have to click to listen); Part Two should be easily navigated to from the Part One link): http://www.focusonthefamily.com/radio.aspx?ID={A9C602C8-D0B4-4BA0-AB6B-7817A2971CCD}
(On edit: The address apparently won’t post as a link; you can either copy and paste the address to your browser, or you can go to the Focus on the Family homepage at: Focus on the Family: Helping Families Thrive From there, there’s a not-well-marked link that says: “Today’s Broadcast.” Click on that, and scroll down to where it says “broadcast calendar.” Click on the 22nd (Wednesday) on the calendar for Part One, and the 23rd for Part Two, and it’ll bring up the relevant pages for the audio broadcasts that you can listen to online.)
The guest they had is a former Congresswoman (name of Linda Smith) who has since taken up activism on this issue. She and a young woman with her who very nearly was trafficked told about the frighteningly subtle tactics that traffickers use to young girls; the young woman spoke of how she had always thought of sex trafficking as being the blacked-van with the traffickers snatching the girl off the street and taking her to Mexico. Her own experience was far from that. Furthermore, Ms. Smith revealed that the average age of a girl when inducted into sexual trafficking is only thirteen.
It’s easy to think that there’s nothing we can do about the sex trafficking trade; I’ve long wished that there was some tangible way for me to intervene. Well, what they revealed on the broadcast isn’t as tangible as shooting traffickers and pimps and johns who are demanding underage girls, but it’s something that can at least help to put a dent in the trade. Linda Smith mentioned and Focus on the Family linked to their site a report card site for the state of the laws of the various states as they relate to the crimes associated with sex trafficking. Many of those states- including my own PA- get a failing grade overall (I couldn’t get into the details, because my computer doesn’t like PDF files). They didn’t mention it by name, but one state’s law was that a first offense of sex with an underage girl was a MISDEMEANOR. And a second offense would get the perp a whopping ten days in jail. Obviously, that goes beyond unacceptable to outrageous.
Here’s the link: State Report Cards for Sex Trafficking Laws in the United States Please look at this and see how your own state is doing with regard to this issue. If it’s doing poorly, please write, e-mail, or call your state legislators and light a fire under their butts to tighten the laws to something reasonable.
And if anyone who patronizes trafficked women (or any prostitute) happens to see this post, I say to you this: I’m no class act as a man, but I’m man enough to know that real men don’t exploit girls and women. They protect them. If you would be a man, then diligently seek help to walk away from this evil.