What we have learned from talking to women is that Maine is a fertile ground for trafficking,
Sadly, the slave trade is alive and well. Bangor Daily News explains,
AUBURN, Maine — The going price for a Maine girl on the countrywide sex slavery market is between $2,500 and $3,500, said Sgt. Tim Ferris of the Portland Police Department on Thursday.
Details like that helped hammer home the point that modern-day slavery is here in Maine during the second annual Not Here Conference that began Thursday in Auburn.
Gerron Jordan reports,
After researching and learning about this “slavery” in the U.S., Havens learned that the term had taken on a slightly different meaning. He said it had a different look than the chains and shackles that people recall learning about in school. This slavery was in the form of human trafficking.
This horrible travesty is happening all over America, as well as, around the world.
Many Americans think the slave trade (aka Human Trafficking) is happening “out there” or only in third world countries.
The sad reality is, It is happening in our own backyard.
100,000 to 300,000 children are exploited, many through prostitution, pornography and sexual entertainment
Tulsa World explains,
It’s a dirty – actually tragic – little secret. The U.S. State Department lists the United States as the No. 1 destination for human trafficking, especially of children and young teens. California, New York, Texas and Oklahoma are at the top of the list of states most active.
Human Trafficking is difficult to quantify much less combat:
Human trafficking … has become a “pervasive part of daily life.” … the tools to deal with the problem are relatively limited, because the only option is to press criminal charges.
Note This series is to raise awareness of the human trafficking epidemic not only around the world but in our backyard in America.