Let’s face it, no one is comfortable talking about the subject of child trafficking. Even our own team find it sickening to our stomachs that we deal with such a dirty underground of filthy grubs that gain sexual gratification from children.
Yet what we find is that as a society we are not ready to face the epidemic that this is! Child sex trafficking is not going to go away, no matter how hard you try to avoid thinking about it, it is only going to continue to grow and exploit more and more children annually.
We are often approached by parents who tell us their child was sent a “Dick Pic” or sent sexually explicit conversations via their social media channels. When we ask the parents for the conversations they always reply “oh we deleted the conversation and the whole app”. To a parent it is horrifying to think that your child has been exposed to this depravity and our instinct is to remove the danger and protect our child but what about the rest of the children online. The ones who don’t have parents that have any interest in their online activity or the ones that have been groomed so extensively they believe every word of their predator. Who is going to help them? That’s why we urge parents not to delete the account, instead send the log in details to us to gather intelligence. In instances of imminent danger we urge parents to go straight to the police, particularly if you child has disclosed their regular routine to the predator.
As adults we have a responsibility to protect every child where we can. We always say “If you see something, do something”. Deleting your child’s app may eliminate the danger from your child but what about the other 5+ children this predator is also grooming. How have we as a society decided to stick our heads in the sand and not face the real issues here.
Let’s face it, no one is comfortable talking about the subject of child trafficking. Even our own team find it sickening to our stomachs that we deal with such a dirty underground of filthy grubs that gain sexual gratification from children.
Yet what we find is that as a society we are not ready to face the epidemic that this is! Child sex trafficking is not going to go away, no matter how hard you try to avoid thinking about it, it is only going to continue to grow and exploit more and more children annually.
We are often approached by parents who tell us their child was sent a “Dick Pic” or sent sexually explicit conversations via their social media channels. When we ask the parents for the conversations they always reply “oh we deleted the conversation and the whole app”. To a parent it is horrifying to think that your child has been exposed to this depravity and our instinct is to remove the danger and protect our child but what about the rest of the children online. The ones who don’t have parents that have any interest in their online activity or the ones that have been groomed so extensively they believe every word of their predator. Who is going to help them? That’s why we urge parents not to delete the account, instead send the log in details to us to gather intelligence. In instances of imminent danger we urge parents to go straight to the police, particularly if you child has disclosed their regular routine to the predator.
As adults we have a responsibility to protect every child where we can. We always say “If you see something, do something”. Deleting your child’s app may eliminate the danger from your child but what about the other 5+ children this predator is also grooming. How have we as a society decided to stick our heads in the sand and not face the real issues here.
Our message is simple, if your child has a device your child is at risk. It is how you as a parent manages that risk. PRC is devoted to educating every parent and child on the risk management of the online world. We spread awareness wherever we can in any way we can. One way we do this is to post on social media pages and groups where many parents are active. We feel that the more parents we can access and educate the more children that will be protected.
We recently attempted to post in a local Facebook group based in Sweden. Like many online community groups they promote local posts about issues that are relevant to the local community – what could be more important than a safety tip for keeping children safe?
Our posts were deleted and we contacted one of the Administrators of the group. She replied and confirmed that the group was for “ People living in this area and for discussions regarding our community” when asked further how she could say that child safety was not a community issue she went on to say “ That is not a subject for public discussion”.
This group has over 12,000 followers and is the leading community Facebook group, which is a locality dominated by young families. There is no other subject more fitting for public discussion but this shows the ignorance and the lack of care for the cause of child trafficking and the close correlation of this with online safety. As Administrators of community groups, we feel they have the perfect platform for raising awareness on issues that concern the community, safety and protection should always rank first especially over posts that highlight an abandoned pushbike and what flowers are currently blooming.
Everyone has a voice and everyone has the power to make a difference no matter how big or small the gesture. It’s time that we as a society acknowledge the hideous facts that people buy children for sex, groom children online for sex and are living in our communities under the detection of authorities. Who is living in your street?
This will continue to happen until we as a society collectively stand together and say no more. So what will you do for our children, our future – stay quiet or use whatever platform you have to stand up for their rights and their safety?
Every child matters and no child should ever be sold.