Every day, more than 40 million people are held in modern slavery according to the International Labour Organization. This number of men, women, and children who are taken from their homes and sexually exploited each year is growing and impacts all nations globally. That’s right, even within the borders of the most blessed country in the world, our own United States, human trafficking is not uncommon. It’s ever-growing. Thankfully, there is hope, even among the tragedy of this fact in the form of a group of volunteers who make up Saved in America. They are truly serving as modern-day heroes. 

The Heroes

Not all heroes wear capes and the heroes who make up Saved in America represent some of the bravest and most highly skilled professionals you will likely ever find assembled. They are a group of retired military specialists and former law enforcement professionals who understand the scope of the problem within America and have decided to use their training to fight back and rescue kids. 

This group not only formed Saved in America but also works as private investigators under the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. They understand the ever-growing scope of evil that exists within human trafficking. According to the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, some 8,042 reports of human trafficking were made within the year 2016 alone, which just showcases the immense risk it presents to American kids and teens. 

Getting the Word Out

Joshua Travers (son of SIA founder Joseph Travers) explains the need to educate the public on these matters: 

“People don’t realize this is going on in their backyards. This isn’t in some faraway country with very poor people. This could be your next-door neighbor, your child, or anyone’s child. A lot of these kids are from middle-class families in the United States. They aren’t incredibly poor or involved in abuse or bad situations at home.”

This reality means that human trafficking can and does happen all over the nation, affecting all lifestyles and races. No one people group is immune to this far-reaching evil. Consequently, the efforts of Saved in America are not only focused on rescuing teens but on educating the public through increased awareness of the reality of human trafficking within our nation.