Sex Trafficking in the Puget Sound Area

According to a report by Q13 Fox News (May 29, 2018), sex trafficking of children, teens has been growing in Puget Sound area.

Hundreds of children and teens are involved in sex trafficking across Western Washington. In King County, WA every night there are 500 minors exploited  said Beth Podvorac, center director at The Genesis Project, which helps victims of sex trafficking. Podvorac says the average age of entry into trafficking is just 13.

It’s not as common for girls to get kidnapped and thrown in the car, it’s most often the sex trafficker building a relationship with the girl and then trafficking her that way.  She adds that although it can happen to anyone, girls who come from less stable homes and ones who are looking to feel loved are easy targets for pimps, who pick up on their vulnerabilities. Podvorac says the pimps will often groom girls online or in person for a while before luring them into the sex trade.

According to data on the Genesis Project web-site:

The average age of entry into prostitution is 13.
71% experienced physical assault.
63% were raped.
89% wanted to escape prostitution immediately but didn’t have a way to do so.
75% had experienced homelessness.
68% met criteria for having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Some Ways to Prevent Your Child from Being Trafficked Into Prostitution:

Sex traffickers frequent malls, movie theaters, bowling alleys, parks, typical teen hang out areas, and around school grounds. Make sure your children are supervised and not alone when in these areas.

Sex traffickers are always looking for girls who are alone or isolated; if your child is with a group, she is much less likely to be targeted.

Check your child’s emails, social media, and internet activities. Many Sex traffickers will build a relationship with children through the internet over time in order to gain their trust.

Screen any boyfriend by checking his age and status in the community. Check with his parents to verify his age, any gang affiliation, or any criminal history. Sex traffickers are notorious for lying about their age and who they are in order to gain a girl’s–and even her parent’s–trust.

Have a code word or phrase. For example, saying “I’m fine” means “Not okay! I need help!”. This way, if they are in the hands of an abductor they can text you this code without raising the suspicion of the abductor or sex trafficker.

Use the percentage sign or some unique symbol that will allow your child to text you one quick symbol to tell you they are in trouble.

Have specific and periodic check in times with your children. Setting a recurring alarm on your child’s phone will help them remember to check in. If your child misses a check in time, you can set a response in motion assuming that they are in trouble.

Talk to your child about what to do if they get into trouble with someone who is threatening them.

The basic rule is to never go to the second location once you realize you are in danger. No matter what the threat, advise them to go to a figure of authority immediately.

It is a difficult discussion to have, especially with junior high age children, but 8 to 14 year-olds are the primary targets of sex traffickers. Children really need to be coached on how to respond to that type of threat if it happens to them.

Advise your child to never leave any drink, even water, unattended at any party or event. Sex traffickers will drop what they call a “roofie” into the drink which causes the victim to become submissive to anyone without bringing attention to the situation.