“Man of Dreams” turns out to be Trafficker

April 3, 2013

Senior year of high school is an exciting time for many teenagers. Student activities, field trips, prom, finals--these are just a few of the things that keep teenagers occupied throughout the year. Many are looking forward to attending college and finding careers. 
 

This was especially true for one senior girl who was particularly excited about going off to college. However, during her senior year, tragedy struck within her family, and as a result she became depressed and lonely and began looking online for a way to distract herself  from the loneliness she felt. During this time she received a friend request on Facebook from a man she didn’t know, but who she thought was cute. So despite not knowing who this person was, she decided to accept his friend request.

Soon after accepting his friend request, they began messaging. They talked about everything from traveling to marriage to family. Over a short period of time, he made her believe that they would live a happy, wonderful life together. It had only been a month, but she believed that she was falling in love with him and decided after graduation to travel to Seattle to meet this “man of her dreams” in person. 

Father Involved in the Sex-Trafficking of Underage Minors

March 11, 2013

Douglass County- Georgia -    Two men were arrested and charged with running a sex trafficking ring in Georgia. They ran a trafficking ring which solicited underage male minors, some as young as fifteen.  Through coercion and force their victims unwillingly were led into "the life" of sex trade with clients found online.

One client, in particular, was a 44 year old father of two, who for two months had been responding by email to ads posted online by the two men in charge of the sex trafficking ring. The 44 year old had purchased the services of an underage minor and had forced this minor to engage in sexual acts. 

"Many people hear the term Sex-Trafficking and assume it is a crime that only victimizes girls and women.  It is a surprise for many to learn that 20% of underage victims of sex-trafficking are boys."

Mutual Friend Abducts Girl into Sex-Trafficking

February 12, 2013

How many times have we trusted someone because they were “a friend of a friend?” How many times have we accepted a friend request on Facebook just because that person was friends with one of our friends? Although it may seem harmless to add these people because they are friends with our friends, in actuality this person may not be harmless at all and could in fact be a trafficker looking to prey on naive, young girls.

In the case of a young seventeen year old girl, she trusted someone who was a mutual friend of her friends and,  as a result, was unknowingly forced into human trafficking. 

Major Trafficking Bust in San Antonio

January 29, 2013

It has been announced that through collective effort of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (ICE), and the San Antonio Police Department, a sting operation took place on January 11 on the southside of San Antonio, in which 45 people were arrested for soliciting girls both online and in person. The arrests included 5 girls who had been solicited for sex and 40 johns, those of whom included a middle school teacher, an EMT, and a secretary who worked at the sheriff’s office.

These arrests were made as part of Operation Blue Ice. This operation included 100 officers, some of whom worked undercover on the streets and also posed as underage girls online. The sting operation focused its areas on girls who were working on streets, girls who had been solicited online and the johns who were purchasing these services.  The main goal of the operation was to find and identify any persons who could be victims of human trafficking, as well as identify who the victim’s traffickers were.  

Man and Woman Busted in Sex Trafficking Ring

January 15, 2013

For any young girl,  the promise of being provided for and taken care of in a serious relationship can seem like a dream come true. This can be especially true for girls who may be dealing with difficult family circumstances, girls who may be having trouble in school, or for girls who may feel unwanted and unloved. This was the case for one young 17 year old homeless girl who was coerced into sex trafficking by a 27 year old man who promised her money and a serious relationship.

However, what this young girl did not know was that this 27 year old man was actually a violent trafficker who used these “promises” as a means to coerce his young victims into sex trafficking. For two years, this man used violence and all means of coercion to force and seduce girls between the ages of 17 and 21 into his sex trafficking ring. Once the girls had been coerced, he would use both physical and psychological abuse on his victims. He would threaten to kill their families if they did not cooperate with his demands and often threatened to beat girls who resisted. He would also go as far as requiring “his girls” to tattoo his name on their bodies as a symbol of branding and possession.

Soul2Sole 5K Run/Walk

Saturday, November 3rd, 2012                       PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE OUR WORK

Soul2Sole 5K/ Kids 1K Run/ Walk

 Benefiting Freedom Youth Project Foundation

We need your help to fund our work preventing and combatting trafficking of children in America.  Help support Freedom Youth Project Foundation by joining us for the annual Soul2Sole 5K Run/Walk! Soul2Sole is a fun-filled family event that aims to bring together family and friends as they show their support for work done by Freedom Youth Project Foundation.  Soul2Sole is presented by The Loft Coffee House, for benefit of Freedom Youth Project Foundation.

YOU CAN HELP FROM ANYWHERE ACROSS THE U.S.A.  

Even though the race takes place Nov 3rd, 2012 at Guadalupe State Park, (central Texas), you can participate from anywhere by registering for the race as a donation.  Your donation will help fund our prevention initiative teaching youth how to recognize deception used by traffickers.  A $20 donation will cover the cost of 2 teens in our training events.  You can learn more about our prevention below.

Please Click One of these Choices Now

• Learn More about the 5K/ 1 Kids Run/ Walk-  CLICK HERE
• Register  5K/ 1K Kids Run/ Walk - CLICK HERE
• Make  Donation 5K/ 1K Kids Run/ Walk - CLICK HERE
  for donation, right under Soul2Sole Logo click "3) Charitable Donation"

Continue to full story and learn why our work is worthy of your support.

Nurses Join in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

October 19, 2012

It was near the end of her shift, and the nurse had been on her feet for long hours, rushing from one patient to another in the overcrowded emergency room. She was thinking of home and her comfortable recliner when she pulled back the curtain of the small cubicle.

A young girl was curled up on the bed, clutching her stomach. The middle-aged man hovering over her stepped forward, introducing himself as her husband. Trying not to show her incredulity, the nurse asked the girl her age. The young girl said she was twenty-four but didn’t look a day over fifteen. She was outgoing and even cheerful during the whole visit, but something didn’t ring true. They vanished when the nurse left to get the discharge papers. 

Trafficking Ring Broken

August 2, 2012

Minnesota- Young girls are often naive and unable to recognize signs of deception. Knowing this, traffickers will often use this form of naivety to lure girls into trafficking. Traffickers will often offer girls a wonderful life by indulging them with gifts in order to lure them into the world of trafficking. Girls are often fooled into thinking they are part of some lavish lifestyle or party. The traffickers may offer them guarantees of money, clothes, and shelter. However, for most girls this “guarantee” of a lavish lifestyle turns into a nightmare in reality.

 

Such was the case in Minnesota where girls as young as thirteen were being trafficked. Investigators, along with the help of Brooklyn Center, began their investigation when a young female victim came to police to notify them that she had been forced to participate in prostitution. Investigators began working on the case and within months were able to bust the juvenile prostitution ring. 

ALERT: Protect YOUR Safety in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

ALERT: THE FOLLOWING IS A WARNING TO OUR READERS WHO CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THE ISSUE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.  Public awareness of one of the core missions of Freedom Youth Project.  We know there are many readers who learn and care about the issue of Human Trafficking from our website and other materials available on the web.   As people learn about the issue and develop a shared commitment to this cause, sometimes there can be a false sense of empowerment which can be dangerous.  In a nation where most people don’t yet know or understand this issue, those who have become knowledgeable should never mistake that knowledge for authority to personally investigate any alleged trafficking activities you may witness. Unfortunately, we have a tragic example to report on what can happen when civilians attempt to insert themselves in a trafficking situation.

"Investigating alleged trafficking activities is and always should be reserved for law enforcement who have training to investigate criminal activities which have proven to have a high degree of danger."   

If you ever witness activities that could mean that Human Trafficking is occurring it is important to take the following precautions for your own safety.