$150 Billion Trafficking Industry in Birmingham - What Can Be Done?

"Kathy Jackson was a typical college student in the mid-1980s when she went to Chicago for spring break to attend a jazz festival with a group of friends she had met in college.

She did not expect to become trapped in a human trafficking ring for more than three decades.

“I really thought they were students at the college [I attended], but they were not,” recalled Jackson. “They were finding out information about me—where I was from, who my mom is, who my dad is, what they do for a living, typical questions. When you’re in college, you don’t have a reason to wonder why people would ask.Jackson said initially she was reluctant about the trip to Chicago.

“My gut was telling me not to go,” she said. “But the free spirit in me was like, ‘No, it’ll be fun. I can work on what I need to do later.’”

“We were in this nice hotel, and they were saying we were going to lunch. I said I was going to go study, and they said, ‘No, no come. It’ll be fun.’ I was reluctant again, but the free spirit in me said, ‘It’s nothing.’”

Jackson said they went to a beautiful condo—where she was assaulted, raped, and repeatedly beaten.

That was the beginning of a devastating odyssey, during which Jackson was trafficked all over the world.

“There are only two continents I haven’t been on and only five states I haven’t been in for more than a day,” she said.

Now living in Alabama, Jackson said she has a full-time job and attends Miles College."

Read Full Article by: Birmingham Times Here 

The most effective way to combat this epidemic of Trafficking - both Sex Trafficking and Labor Trafficking is through Preventative Education! Our youth are the main targets for traffickers and predators. We must be smarter then the predators, 10 steps ahead of them and we Must Educate and Safeguard our Youth before predators get to them first. 

Help us Organize and Sponsor Anti-Trafficking Workshops in your Community. Here is the link to more details about our Anti-Trafficking Initiative

Thank you,
The F.A.C.T. Team 

Florida Becomes First State to Teach Human Trafficking Prevention in Schools

"The State Board of Education has unanimously approved a new rule requiring instruction in child trafficking prevention for students in grades K-12. With this approval, Florida will be the first state in the nation to address the need for instruction in child trafficking prevention.

The new rule also establishes procedures for school districts to plan and document delivery of the required instruction.

Florida is third in the nation for numbers of reported cases of human trafficking, and the average age of trafficked youth is 11 to 13 years old. In 2018, there were 767 human trafficking cases reported in Florida. Of those cases, 149 were minors. Up to 70 percent of sex trafficking and exploitation begins with predators connecting with youth online. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, one out of eight endangered runaway youth is likely a victim of human trafficking."

Read Full Article Here