Imagine yourself in the midst of a normal afternoon. Work is finished, errands run, dinner is in the oven, and you’re looking forward to a relaxing family evening. Your teenage daughter is usually home from soccer by about 4:30, and the better half should be rolling in from work right behind her.
But 4:30 comes and goes, and she doesn’t arrive as planned. By 5:30 you’re both panicking. This is totally unlike her. Her cell phone is off, and you’ve verified she’s not with any of her friends. You finally get in touch with her coach, who confirms the worst: she wasn’t at practice that day.
You phone the police to report her missing but learn they can’t and won’t do much. The due diligence required for a report of that type is surprisingly minimal. So your hands are tied, and hopelessness is already setting in. This is bad! You need support and resources, pronto.
Saved In America To The Rescue
As a private investigator, Joseph Travers has seen way too many stories like this. Too many kids deemed “runaways”, caught in a sinister game of cat and mouse that they’re groomed to be blind to. As victims remain loyal to their traffickers and distrusting of police, the trail goes cold, leaving little hope for a happy reunion down the road.
After the high profile 2009 abduction and death of Brittanee Drexel, Joseph decided he’d seen enough. (3) Assembling an all-volunteer dream team, among them retired police investigators and special ops, Saved In America (SIA) began. They have recovered almost 200 victimized children since 2014, the majority from San Diego county. (4)
Because they are volunteers, not police officers, SIA doesn’t have the same legal parameters that a police force does. But thanks to their specialized training, they bring a lot to the table in terms of investigative and tactical knowledge. SIA volunteers collate leads, stake out locations, get eyes on the trafficked child, and then inform the police so the bust can be made. On average the whole process takes 5-6 agonizing days. (2)
The mission of Saved In America is simple: bring them home. Discovering their child missing is a nightmare that no parent should have to experience, and if the worst happens, this team of heroes is making sure they are not alone.
#childsavednotsold
It’s a sad reality that trafficking has become an international epidemic, and no child is immune to the possibility of victimization. Some estimates indicate that upwards of 300,000 US children are trafficked annually.
How can you help your own child stay safe? Mr. Travers says the #1 most important thing is simply to know your child’s cell phone. During the grooming process, befriending them and gaining their trust, traffickers communicate with their victims this way. So go on, be a little nosy. Knowing who your child is texting could save their life.
With the cost of each rescue operation varying widely depending on need, public participation is necessary and important. But equally important is visibility and a worldwide understanding of the magnitude of the problem. With any luck, maybe this concept will catch on. Legions of heroes scattered far and wide, bringing light to a dark world, one child at a time.
