It's one of our nation's best kept secrets. At a time when the entire country is turning their eyes to one major event, let’s not forget what’s actually going on outside of the arenas.
Backpage.com is the second largest classified-ad listing service on the Internet in the United States (behind Craigslist). For years, the adult classifieds section of the website has been used to buy and sell victims of human trafficking.
We may not be able to see it, but modern-day slavery is all around us. We have a tendency to put up blinders, and believe that it’s only happening where we can see it—in third world countries across the globe. But it’s happening in our backyards, across the street, at our favorite sporting events and across our nation.
A high school resource officer has spent years observing first-hand the ways our children are being groomed for sex trafficking online. It starts young, it's relentless, and it's happening right under our noses.
"I was just home with my son putting him down for a nap when a lady knocked on my door saying she was with Delaware County Child Protective Services and they were here to remove Ja’vonni from my care."
