No Child Should Be For Sale: January’s Cry for Action Against Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking

(KNSI) — January marks National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and officials warn some of the most vulnerable to being exploited are children.

Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force Commander Sergeant Dan Trautman explains to KNSI News victims are lured into prostitution by people they meet online who at first gain their trust, then take advantage of them. Kids are commonly targeted on social media apps such as Facebook, Kik, Snapchat, and TikTok.

Sgt. Trautman urges parents to monitor what their kids are doing on their cell phones and tablets. “There are certain applications that you can purchase and install on your family’s devices that will monitor your kids’ phone activity. And that will also flag inappropriate conversations.”

Monitoring apps can also watch for inappropriate texts, videos, and photos and ones that show your child’s location. He recommends doing spot checks to make sure an online predator isn’t grooming your kids.

Sgt. Trautman says there’s a misconception that it isn’t happening here. “I think people need to understand that sex trafficking, labor trafficking, it’s not confined to just your larger metropolitan areas.” He says cities that have a lot of hotels, like St. Cloud, are popular areas for pimps to set up.

The best tool, he says, is awareness.

Sex trafficking activity can be similar to the kind of activity you might expect to see in drug dealing. That includes a lot of traffic coming and going from a home or hotel room. Especially men showing up alone, staying for a short period, and leaving.

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