I know this is not about skin, but I wanted to share this information!!! I got this from Facebook!
Did you know that the US, along with Mexico and the Philippines, was ranked in 2018 as one of the world's biggest places for human trafficking? (Business Insider, July 25, 2019)
Did you know that the Interstate 20 corridor is the US' busiest route for trafficking? (Yellowhammer News, 2015)
Did you know that women are the largest perpetrators of sex trafficking? (Introducing: Female Perpetrators of Human Trafficking | Anti-Trafficking Independence Project)
This is a true story! Not about me or my family, but it is to important not to share.
She was driving home from studying at a friend's house when she realized she was just about completely out of gas. It was 10 PM and she knew it wasn't an ideal time to stop for gas, but she was near the gas station on the edge of our neighborhood, the one with the friendly owner who has served our family for 8 years, so she thought it would be OK. She was in a boot for a sports injury, so she didn't get back her car after she started pumping the gas. Then a shiny new SUV pulled up. A woman in the passenger seat asked her how she was doing, really friendly-like - there was something about her manner that seemed "off." She did not engage, and she got back in her car, but did not close the door - she told me after that she didn't want to look like she was panicking. She pretended to be busy, but she watched the SUV out of the corner of her eye.
The woman got out and acted like she was walking into the gas station convenience store, but she saw her double back and start creeping behind her car out of the sight line of the rear view mirror. The woman crept around to where she was between my daughter's car and the gas pump. As she stepped over the hose, she slammed and locked her doors. The woman began pounding on her window, saying "Get out, I just want to talk to you!"
About this time, three men came out of the convenience store. They were murmuring and one was handing money to the others. She said they didn't look like a group of friends, they weren't joking with each other or carrying drinks or anything. They quickly surrounded her car along with the woman. She started yelling at them that she was not getting out of the car.
She pulled out her phone and texted her stepdad who was 3 minutes away and then called her boyfriend's mother who also was nearby. When the people saw her on the phone, they jumped in the SUV and left. She waited for one of the adults to come and escort her home and then texted me to call her. She was scared and rattled, but safe. As we debriefed as a family and later talked with police, we assessed what she did right and what we will be doing differently in our family.
What she did right:
- She knew that our town is on the "sex trafficking superhighway" and that women usually approach the target, so she was alert to her surroundings when she had to stop.
- She trusted her gut. Something seemed odd about the way the woman tried to engage her, and she didn't get into a conversation. No doubt the woman was meant to distract her while the men did something bad.
- She didn't worry about appearing rude, she got back into her car right away. We have always stressed to our kids not to worry about seeming rude or unfriendly when your "spidey sense" tells you something's up - it's more important to be safe than to be nice!
- She stayed aware of the situation and kept her eye on the woman.
- She took action by calling for help.
- The next day, she asked her school counselor and resource officer to help her file a police report since I was out of town and her stepdad was in court all day (he's a lawyer).
What she knows now:
- She should have called 911 first and then family.
- She could have blown her horn or hit the car alarm as she was yelling at them - she had her finger on the alarm button and was about to push it when they started leaving.
- She could have cranked the car and driven away - unlike in the movies, 99.9% of the time your car will not blow up.
What we're doing differently as a family now:
- When we get to a quarter tank of gas, we will fill up so we don't have to stop at a time or place that is not ideal.
- She didn't check in with anyone to let them know she was stopping. From now on, if we change locations we let someone know. We have Life360 on our phones but don't use it every day because of battery use, we've only been using it when we are away from home - but we'll be using it more now.
As we talked through our shock that night, she said she was scared that these people were looking for her. I told her it was probably the opposite - they would not give her another look because she showed that she was SMART and would RESIST. They probably saw that boot on her foot and thought she was vulnerable, but were they ever wrong!
Most importantly, she was armed with knowledge.
How much do you know about trafficking? Do you talk through plans of action with your loved ones and kids? When you stop for gas, load groceries into your car, or wait in a banking drive-through, do you stay aware of your surroundings or do you stay glued to your phone? Do you have an app to check in or do you text someone when you deviate from your planned route?
What will you do differently now that you know our story?
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