On this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the CPAC Center for Combating Human Trafficking has a message for the world: Our Kids Are Not for Sale.
Children worldwide are vulnerable to the heinous crime of human trafficking, constituting about one-third of the nearly 30 million victims (about the population of Texas) globally. In 2021 alone, the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline recorded 2,365 cases involving minors. The UN underscores that children are twice as likely as adults to endure violence during trafficking.
Children are trafficked for various cruel purposes, including sex trafficking, forced labor, and organ harvesting. Saving these children from such horrific fates has been a central mission of the CPAC Foundation Center for Combating Human Trafficking since its open, which coincided with the premiere of Angel Studios’ "Sound of Freedom," a film depicting the heroic efforts of a former Homeland Security Agent to rescue trafficked children.
Just last week, we hosted the second International Summit Against Human Trafficking which explored the ways lawmakers and activists worldwide can end human trafficking and save our children. One panel with former Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, investigative journalist Sara Carter, and former CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan highlighted the impact of open borders on the rise of human trafficking, especially in the United States—the world's largest consumer of trafficked humans.
Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) from China, the Middle East, and Latin America exploit the open U.S. border and the desperate conditions in South and Central America, where some parents, out of sheer desperation, sell their children to cartels. These victims, upon entering the U.S., often face severe physical and sexual abuse, slavery, and even death.
To combat human trafficking effectively, we need comprehensive legislation, criminal justice reform, and a firm stance on border security. Americans must recognize that human trafficking occurs in their communities and urge their leaders to take decisive action to assist victims and eradicate this crime. Securing our southern border is a critical step in protecting our children and sending a clear message: Our Kids Are Not for Sale.
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