Human Trafficking is Everywhere
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Human trafficking has always been one of those things that frightened me, but I never spent too much time thinking about it because, for the longest time, I assumed it was something that only people living in major cities had to worry about.
After all, I’m from a little podunk town where nothing ever happens. When we got a Sonic about 10 years ago, it was the most exciting thing that had happened in ages. There was a two-hour wait to be served. Traffic was backed up for a mile. People lost their ever-loving minds over being able to sit in their cars and have a burger brought to their window.
But a lot has changed since Sonic moved in. Human trafficking now has its evil hooks in Pennsylvania, including its podunk, nothing-ever-happens-here towns.
On Facebook, a missing poster is currently circulating about a young woman who went missing from Lititz, Pennsylvania and is believed to have possibly been trafficked. Lititz is a small town in South Central Pennsylvania with a population of less than 10,000.
A few years ago, Lititz won the title of America’s Coolest Small Town. My husband I lived there for many years and I can confirm that it is a very cool place. It is known for its impressive 4th of July fireworks display, its yearly art show, and a handful of other popular community activities. It’s certainly not the type of place where you would think young women are being kidnapped and trafficked.
It might get old hearing your parents and grandparents drone on about how dangerous the world has become, but they’re right. I used to walk all over Lititz without a care in the world. Now, people are being sold into modern-day slavery on those very same streets.
Human trafficking is everywhere, and if you’re a woman or a young girl, you owe it to yourself to not only the know the facts but to know how to take some simple precautions to protect yourself.
Human Trafficking: The Stats
The top 10 U.S. states for human trafficking from 2015 to 2017 were: [1]
- California