San Deigo PSA

As part of a PSA for Saved in America, San Diego Channel 933 issued a reminder about Human Trafficking Awareness. While human trafficking, known as modern-day slavery, is a global issue, many do not realize the problem also exists and is at epidemic levels within America’s borders. San Diego is a major corridor for the heinous industry and is seeing more, and more young girls victimized by human trafficking. Therefore, it’s important to bring awareness to the issue, educating Americans on the problems that exist right next door. 

Who is at Risk?

One important factor to know about human trafficking is that it targets the weak, the abused, and the neglected. Just as predators do in the wild, they go after the stragglers of the bunch, they target the innocent, the naive, and the kids who no one is paying attention to at home. This is why a great number of human trafficking victims come from broken homes where they are abused or have been in and out of the foster care system. This often leads them to run away and then they become prime targets for these opportunistic predators. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children states that one in every seven runaways becomes the victim of sex trafficking. Furthermore, some 60% of these runaways are approached by a trafficker within the first 48 hours after they are reported missing. 

Why Awareness is Important

While knowing about something isn’t in and of itself a solution to said problem, awareness is an important step towards fighting back against the evils of the human trafficking industry. When more and more Americans become aware of the immense scope of the problem as it exists in America, they are more apt to learn what signs to look for to recognize abuse or potential grooming in girls they know and to keep an eye out when in public for signs that indicate a girl is being victimized or held against her will. It also brings to the forefront the need for donations to ensure that organizations like our own at Saved in America can do the necessary work of tracking down and finding these girls and then helping them prosecute their perpetrators, and get them the recovery and rehabilitation help they need to go back to normal life.