Human Trafficking A Problem Even Here At Home

Updated: July 27, 2008 10:40 AM EDT

Human trafficking is alive and well in this country. According to statistics provided by the Project Meridian Foundation, more than a million children are believed to be involved in the sex trade in the United States.

"They sell them into the sex trade and they make prostitutes out of the boys and girls. It's really a shame to see these kids that are being raped 10 to 20 times a day for someone else's profit," said Nathan Wilson, Project Meridian Foundation founder and CEO.

Wilson says that just last night, police in Prince George County found an eight-year-old girl in the back seat of a vehicle they pulled over. They say she had been abducted two days before.

Wilson says most people do not realize human trafficking is happening right here in the Richmond and tri-cities areas.

The rally in Prince George County today was designed to bring attention to the issue of human trafficking that is happening even in our own area. But it is not just to raise awareness, it is also trying to raise money to build a safe house for the victims.

Wilson says that the children are worth a lot of money to the criminals who sell them, so keeping them in an undisclosed location is paramount to their safety.

"We got to think of the safety of these kids, because we're taking a commodity, that's called a child or a young woman that's being rescued and getting the medical and psychological care they need," he said.

Project Meridian plans on having another event to raise awareness in January.

http://www.wric.com/Global/story.asp?S=8741997

[More on Project Meridian can be found here: http://www.projectmeridianfoundation.org/]

Document type: News paper article

Publication date: 2008 Jul 27

Topics: child trafficking, crime, abduction, money, prostitution

Countries: United States of America