Confronting Human Trafficking a Community Conversation

February 17, 2020

Every time you have heard the words “human trafficking” you probably think of Hollywood movies, a TV show or of people being trafficked overseas. For the longest time, I never thought of it being here in the U.S. Perhaps that was naive on my part, or maybe we just don’t talk about it enough. But it is an issue, and social media is making it worse.  Today, it doesn’t matter what race you are, where you live, or your economic situation. Technology like social media has enabled traffickers to reach everyone.

As social media platforms become prevalent across the world, the threat of human trafficking is rising. Catfishing, as seen on MTV’s show, might sound relatively none threatening at first glance. But posing as a different person online is the first step for human traffickers. With today’s technology, kids from all walks of life are vulnerable to people who pose online as friendly teens to lure them into a conversation — and, eventually, meeting them in person.

Regardless of what town you live in, social or economic status, if your kids are online, they are at risk of communicating with someone who is pretending to be someone else. Millions of people fall for catfishing scams every year; sometimes it’s less serious, other times it can be deadly.

Parents and kids should be aware of the risks.

Please join us to learn more about this real threat to our children, the Orthodox Christian perspective on why it is so evil and the things we can do to help prevent this human tragedy.