USA Today posted an interview with Saved in America’s own Joseph Travers to share more about the organization and how it works. As part of his interview, Travers explains that the first step in the rescue process is the contact from the parents to SIA. They explain what is going on and then Saved in America volunteers step in and start researching social media through an investigation to find solid leads that could indicate where a missing child is located. Astoundingly, SIA has an amazing 100% success rate in finding the missing child.

Social Media, Then Surveillance

The next step in the process after SIA thinks there is an actionable lead is to inform local law enforcement. This is followed up by additional surveillance work performed by SIA that is designed to determine if a girl is in fact or is not in fact in the location where they believe them to be. After a positive identification is made, SIA gives law enforcement all the information they need to go in and perform the actual rescue. Saved in America does not perform snatch-and-grab operations but instead works in a team effort alongside police departments to get kids out of a dangerous situation as safely as possible. To know where to look in the first place takes a great deal of investigative work on social networks, which takes time and manpower most police forces don’t have. 

Gangs Are Getting Involved

Another key part of this interview features Travers explaining how gangs have become involved in human trafficking, making it that much harder for law enforcement to get ahead and keep families safe. Gangs of three varieties; street gangs, prison gangs, and drug cartels have all become highly involved in this lucrative business where they sell humans as a never-ending commodity, making thousands and thousands of dollars. This extremely profitable industry has exploded in America and globally, which is posing a unique challenge to law enforcement simply due to the difficulty of fighting back against these cases. Thankfully, groups like SIA are standing in the gap for families with missing and exploited children who believe they may be in a human trafficking ring or at risk for this. They know what to look for and how to track down these predators and find the missing girls who have become their victims.