People all around the country are busy watching the playoffs in anticipation of who will be in Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13 this year. However, football players and fans are not the only ones gearing up for the big event.
A subject that's talked about, but people try to ignore because no one wants to believe it exists, is sex trafficking. It is very real, and it is a threat to a lot of young people, even here in Marion County.
The Super Bowl is the single largest sex-trafficking event there is, according to Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott. Millions of dollars will be spent the week of the game on people engaging in illicit sex with someone who is forced to be there. A lot, but not all of the victims, will be children. Adults trapped in the world of addiction can fall into this as well.
In today's world of technology, victims may not necessarily be seen walking the streets around the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. In fact, there will most likely be a larger influx of victims in Las Vegas because that is where the "big-wigs" will be, betting a lot more money on the game than you or I may ever even see in our lifetime.
Why am I writing about it here in Columbia when Las Vegas and Inglewood are more than half of the country away? Because potential victims are living right here in Marion County, maybe under your own rooftop.
When I tell you I know, I am not making things up. Victims are not targeted on the streets; they are targeted on social media. Teenagers have fun posting funny videos and pictures online, but if the right connection between a sex trafficker and a victim takes place, the poor victim will be subjected to a life of drugs, abuse and trafficking.
Last year, I was able to be was to observe a sex-sting operation in Columbia. I saw firsthand some heartbreaking things. Men were driving from out of town to have sex with minors. At least one person drove two hours, two hours! Surely that person could have found someone closer. Unfortunately, what he wanted was probably a lot more perverted than he could have found where he lived.
Men, and I'm sure women, troll the internet not only looking for victims but also opportunities to engage in the act. They find the websites, and from there, they can set up appointments to act out their fantasies with helpless victims. In my mind, I can't even comprehend why people would want to do this, but it's a multi-million dollar business.
It's horrible and heartbreaking imagining what these victims have experienced.
It is imperative that parents monitor their children's social media. Privacy means nothing compared to their safety. As adults who have social media, we get friends requests all the time from strangers, and that’s not even including the many messages we receive from friends who have been hacked. We know the evil is out there. As parents, we need to protect our children.
A family member of mine being young, naive and stupid once sent a boy an inappropriate picture of herself. A few months later, the boy contacted her and told her either send more pictures or he would post what he had online and tell everyone who it is. As a young teenage girl, she was trying to figure out what to do without her parents knowing about it. Thankfully, her parents found out before anything else happened and intervened. By the time "Momma Bear" had finished, the young boy was in tears, and screenshots of his texts and threats were forwarded to his parents. The girl was safe. To the best of my knowledge, he has never spoken to the girl since.
My point is that happened in Marion County folks. Men have traveled to Marion County with the sole purpose of satisfying their own insane perversion on a victim.
The same is true in convincing a young person to run away for a "better" life. If the right connection is made, and the potential victim believes in the fake promises being made, then unfortunately that person may fall into a sex trafficking trap, subjected to drugs, abuse and all sorts of things that give this mother nightmares.
Be overprotective of your children. Children love that their parents care enough to be overprotective. That world can be a scary place sometimes.
As the Super Bowl comes around, use this as a reminder of the importance of the battle of sex trafficking. Pray for the success of the many ministries and organizations that will be out there doing what they can to combat it. And please, please, please combat it as well from your own home.
Let's work together to make the Super Bowl really super for everyone. -
Susan Amundson is news/features editor of The Columbian-Progress. She may be reached at (601) 736-2611 or samundson@columbianprogress.com.
