Sex Trafficking in the City: Be Alert or Be Snatched.

This most misconstrued concept  of things that  bump in  the night  are they’re intangible creatures of mythical origin. The bogeyman or candy man. We are oblivious to the harsh fact lurking just beneath our noses. It's not the monster under your bed or the ghost in the haunted house but the man or woman you think you can trust. Society has got us to think it's just in the movies where victims are taken and sold as if their a cheap price of meat. No, it's the stark truth! People, women, men, girls and boys are being sold into dark recess of places that only causes torment or pain. Not just random people but our family, friends, neighbors, associates, and colleagues. The very fabric of people that holds us together are being snatched away! These dire situations are right in the backyard of our home city of Philadelphia and it gets more severe by the day.  There are thousands of cases unbeknownst to the public and neighbors. Adults and children getting kidnapped/sold to the sex trafficking ring at any cost. For all of those who are not clear about the definition of sex trafficking, “ it is the act of illegally transporting people from one place to another for the purpose of sexual exploitation.  World-wide , this has been happening for centuries to come, and it has always been an issue. However, society painted as more of an on scene film such as going out on vacation and a person gets kidnapped. No, this misconstrued concept has left countless unprotected and oblivious people at the wrong end of the deal. In Philadelphia alone, there have been over 2,000 cases reported in this following year! The details of each report tells of only horror and some who barely escape with their lives. There are those who are fortunate enough to escape but the majority become lost to a system of exploitation. The different venues of sex trafficking include illicit spas/hotels, pornography, resident based commercial sex, hotel/motel based/ and online ads. Monsters of the nights creep up in your most vulnerable time and snatch you right ways from your precious obvious bubble. As easy as it may seem to take down the culprits of sex trafficking it is actually more troubling due to commercial sex work ( escort , prostitution) and drug addiction( selling sex for drugs). These types of venues also contributes to the easy access of human sex trafficking. In April of 2019, a woman daringly escaped a house in  East Hilton, Kensington where four other women were being held captive. This led to the conviction of Richard Collins. He was using their drug addiction, violence, and sexual assault to sex traffick them. One woman did not escape with her life while the other three were freed.  Another  South Philadelphian man pleaded guilty to 12 charges of sex trafficking and was sentenced  to 99 years in prison. He ran the human sex trafficking ring inside of his home on the block of 1800 south Fifth street and his victims ranged from 15-25 years old !  These are situations are in places a lot of Philadelphians know all too well. I took to the streets of Philadelphia to ask people what do they think about the sex trafficking in Philadelphia and there were various responses. A resident  by the name of Stacia Brown stated that she was well aware of the dire problem and her children are aware as well. She goes on to say ,“It’s important that the people of Philadelphia are aware especially our young girls and children, they're in the most public places and these disgusting people are taking you right off the street. You could be playing one minute and the next minute in someone's van.”  In reality its a real and tangible as the very fabric of clothes we are wearing! This is the scary world  that we live in and it is always best to keep your eyes open and  your ear to the ground.