‘Predators prey where children play’: Opelika group on a mission to stop sex trafficking

The film was based on the true story about Tim Ballard, a former U.S. agent who made it his mission to rescue children from sex traffickers in Colombia. While the film is set in Colombia, Kathryn Guthrie, who advocates for sex trafficking survivors, said it’s important to remember that modern slavery is also a major problem in the United States.

There’s an estimated 49.6 million people living in modern slavery, including forced labor and forced marriage, according to the International Labour Organization. That’s more than three times the number of people who were enslaved in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, which was roughly 13 million.

About 6.3 million people became victims of forced commercial sexual exploitation. Nearly 5 million of those victims have been identified as women and girls.

Today, there are more victims of modern-day slavery than ever. National databases report that the U.S. is the number one consumer of sexual exploitation in the world.

Guthrie founded Worthy², a faith-based organization in Opelika that aims to fight human trafficking and advocates for victims and survivors. To eliminate sex trafficking, Guthrie said we have to stop it at the root.

“We have got to stop it through prevention before it even starts, and there’s two ways to do that,” she said. “One is we have to educate people on child sex trafficking and exploitation and what it looks like here. Two is you have to stop the demand, which is pornography. That means men have to rise up.”

The U.S. Department of State estimates that 31% of children that experience sex trafficking in the U.S. do so at the hands of a family member. Guthrie said some professionals believe it’s around 47%.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation reported that a survey conducted in the U.S. revealed that “1 in every 25 adult men (about 4 million) had purchased sex within the past three years, with 57% of those who had purchased sex saying they purchased sex multiple times.”

Guthrie provided a statistic from Covenant Eyes and Conquer Series that said 64% of the Christian men and 15% of the Christian women they surveyed reported that they watch pornography at least once a month. Guthrie challenges men and women to take a stand and get involved in organizations like Worthy² to fight sex trafficking and eliminate the demand for it.

Worthy², worthy squared, focuses on reaching out to the victims and building relationships with them. Guthrie said they consistently check in on the victims and provide clothing, medicine and other resources they may need.

Worthy² also helps assist victims throughout the court process and connects them to resources to help them detox from any drug addictions, earn their GED, receive counseling, get their record expunged or establish a long-term residential living situation. Worthy² partners with various programs and organizations across the southeast.

In the U.S., the internet has played a major role in helping predators find vulnerable kids and teens.

“There’s another saying that we use in our trainings, ‘predators prey where children play,’ and they’re playing on the internet,” Guthrie said.

She urges parents to check their children’s devices and monitor who they are interacting with online.

In 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received over 31 million reports of child sexual abuse material (child pornography). In the U.S. alone there were about 4 million online predators.

Guthrie said during the COVID-19 pandemic there was a large increase of online child sexual abuse material. Internet crimes against children also tends to increase over the summer months while kids are at home spending more time playing online games or using social media.

Three years ago, Guthrie said she knew a young teenage girl who made a public Instagram account on a dare. A classmate told the girl she wouldn’t be able to get 1,000

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual exploitation.
   • Indicator: Number of victims of forced commercial sexual exploitation, disaggregated by age, sex, and form of exploitation.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor.
   • Indicator: Number of people in forced labor, by sex, age group, and economic activity.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.
   • Indicator: Proportion of young women and men aged 18-29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Analysis

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   The issue of sex trafficking highlighted in the article is directly connected to SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Target 5.2 specifically addresses the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, including trafficking and sexual exploitation. The article mentions the estimated number of victims of forced commercial sexual exploitation, with a focus on women and girls. This aligns with the target to address and combat sex trafficking.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   The issue of modern slavery and forced labor discussed in the article is connected to SDG 8, which focuses on promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. Target 8.7 specifically addresses the eradication of forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking. The article mentions the estimated number of people living in modern slavery and forced labor, highlighting the need to take immediate and effective measures to address this issue.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

   The issue of abuse, exploitation, and trafficking mentioned in the article is connected to SDG 16, which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. Target 16.2 specifically addresses the need to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and violence against children. The article mentions the importance of preventing child sex trafficking and exploitation, as well as the need to address sexual violence against young women and men. This aligns with the target to end all forms of violence against children.

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Source: oanow.com

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