TAMPA, Fla. — Following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Tampa Police rescued a 17-year-old girl.
It is a small victory in the fight to protect our children. For every survivor, experts told ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska, another victim is waiting to be saved.
"I'm glad that she was recovered," Celeste Williams, a Youth Advocate withRedefining Refuge, told Paluska. "Unfortunately, I have to say this: this is a frequent part of my job. We have (victims) as young as twelve."
According to Tampa Police, they were notified on "September 28, 2023, by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that images of a 17-year-old female victim were posted on an online prostitution website. Detectives with the TPD Special Victims Unit immediately began an investigation. Investigators were able to determine that the photographs had been posted from a location in the northern section of the city."
"It's the little things that add up to be the most important, like paying attention to just like body language, different things, if a person is just not making eye contact," Hilda Arreola, Prevention Coordinator atSelah Freedom, said.
The non-profit works to raise awareness about sex trafficking and help children protect themselves. They also have a 24-hour hotline at 1-888-8-FREE-ME (888-837-3363).
Arreola talks to kids from Kindergarten through 12th grade.
"We always explain to them you'll get this weird feeling in your tummy that you can't explain. But it's just a weird feeling. And when you get that weird feeling, pay attention to it and go and talk to a safe adult," Arreola said.
She urges adults to look at a kid's body language if they are not making eye contact and appear scared or uncomfortable to investigate further.
The non-profit offers sex trafficking awareness training for the public, businesses, law enforcement, and anyone who wants to learn how to protect our children.
According to a study by the Human Trafficking Institute, a U.S. non-governmental organization, "data concerning conduct that took place before and during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that approximately 40% of sex trafficking victims are recruited online, making the internet the most common place where victim recruitment takes place."
Protecting children starts at home with parents making sure they are monitoring who their kids are talking to.
"I wish we had more mentors, more people in these children's lives that they can look up to," Williams said. "They have easy access to your kids. Do you think your children are safe because they're in the home? It's not enough just to know where your kids are. What are they doing on the phone? What are they? What websites are they accessing? If they have access to the internet, they have access to adults."
