podcast

Where are our children disappearing too?​

Podcast
March 06, 2023•3 min read
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Summary

On this episode, she is joined by Andrea, a talented musician and ambassador for the US Institute Against Human Trafficking. Andrea is passionate about human trafficking awareness and gives talks to organizations like church staff, first responders and high school groups to help educate them on how to become trafficking free zones, with the goal to join the fight against trafficking.

Mandi and Andrea discussed the issue of missing teenagers. They talked about the different reasons why these teenagers may be missing and the need to take necessary steps to ensure their safety.

The conversation is about the on ramps to trafficking, with a focus on grooming of minors on social media. It is estimated that nearly 400,000 youth were abducted in the US in 2020, and that one in six runaways are likely to become victims of trafficking. It is also revealed that online grooming is a huge on ramp to trafficking, and that it can happen to any minor with access to social media.

The speakers discuss how to help prevent children from being victimized by manipulative adults, such as traffickers, groomers, and pedophiles. The speakers provide tips for parents to lower the chances of their children being exposed to these exploitations. This is VERY important and we hope that many will listen and learn from this episode.

Lessons Learned

  • Human trafficking is the use of force fraud or co-ercion to benefit off someone else’s work or body.

  • Predators try to befriend our children online, especially through social media, appearing to be their friend and fill an emotional gap. This is a huge on ramp to trafficking.

  • Human trafficking is happening right under our noses here in the U.S. across most cities and states but we can do something about it. Check the resources in show notes.

  • Remember to establish phone rules / boundaries to set with your child’s phone usage and keep communication open We shared tips for digital safety and what to actually do if you or your child becomes a victim

  • MANY resources were shared. Check the show notes by clicking this episode on your podcast player and reading the text under the play button.

Resources

  • Our Guest was Andrea Hamilton. Follow or email her through her website. (By the way, the music you hear on this podcast is hers!)

  • Take It Down - A service provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to remove explicit photos and videos taken before age 18. You remain anonymous while using the service and won’t have to send images to anyone.

  • Exodus Cry - Helping those who have been exploited and preventing further exploitation

  • US Institute Against Human Trafficking - Educating the public about HT, helping victims and survivors, empowering volunteers to take a stand in their communities

  • Thorn - Co-founders Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore built Thorn to fight child sex trafficking identifying the needs, gathering resources and creating powerful solutions to fight child sexual abuse. Thorn is developing tech solutions to fight this problem.

  • Polaris Project - Serves as a data hub for the anti-human trafficking field, providing key data to researchers, academics, law enforcement and others seeking to deepen knowledge and understanding. They operate the US National HT hotline.

  • National Human Trafficking Hotline - Report anything suspicious as well as exploitation that has happened and get questions a

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