Bondi: From Instant Message To Instant Nightmare

September 28, 2013

Submitted by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi

According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, there are 27 million people enslaved worldwide. Victims of human trafficking are subjected through force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. In 2011, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center ranked Florida third in the number of calls received by the center’s human trafficking hotline. It is also reported that the average age of children recruited into sex trafficking is between 12 and 14 years old. These heartbreaking statistics are evidence that something needs to be done.

I unveiled a statewide initiative intended to raise awareness about human trafficking and to help parents protect their children from online sex traffickers. The initiative, “From Instant Message to Instant Nightmare,” debuts on billboards, bus shelters, and mall displays throughout Florida.

Parents and adults, please talk to children about the importance of online safety. Visit MyFloridaLegal.com to download a parental tip sheet about online safety and a pledge for children to sign and print. The pledge can be taped to your home computers to serve as a reminder of safe Internet use.

Parents follow these tips to help protect your children from human traffickers online:

  • Talk to your children about sex trafficking and sexual abuse. Describe human trafficking as modern-day slavery, where people are captured and treated inhumanely. Awareness is the first step in preventing it;
  • Restrict use of the computer to the living room or other area of the house where other family members are present;
  • Know your child’s screen names and passwords, even if you have your child write them down and put them in a sealed envelope. If anything happens, you will be able to access your child’s accounts to trace who he or she has been communicating with;
  • Use the parental control settings on your computer to check the Internet history. Look for warning signs in your children, such as: mood swings and anxiety; new friends who are significantly older; and new gifts, pre-paid credit cards, clothes or cell phones that you did not purchase; and
  • Let your children know that they can talk to you, or a trusted adult, about anything that makes them uncomfortable.

By raising awareness about human trafficking and asking you, as parents, to play an active role in preventing sex traffickers from recruiting your children online, we can help stop this horrific crime.

Comments

4 Responses to “Bondi: From Instant Message To Instant Nightmare”

  1. mom of two teenage girls on September 29th, 2013 5:09 pm

    There is a movie about that I think all middle & high schools should let the girls watch this at school

  2. Anastasia on September 29th, 2013 8:27 am

    Human trafficking is a serious problem that has been swept under the carpet, so to speak, for so long.

    I took a course at UWF two summers ago appropriately named Human Trafficking. I learned just how depraved people can be by praying on BOTH girls and boys who are the most vulnerable. These corrupt people look for girls in small towns knowing they are looking for a way out of their troubles at home.

    Did you know that the Hershey chocolate company uses slave labor?

  3. 429SCJ on September 29th, 2013 6:22 am

    Heinous crimes, need Heinous punishment, or else perpetrators will have no fear of consequence and will just continue about their business.

    It’s nice to hold hands and sing songs but sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to correct bad things. There is work for the Metzger and much of it.

  4. Angela on September 29th, 2013 3:53 am

    Thanks William for reporting this. Most people want to pretend human trafficking doesn’t exist and I fear many around our area believe it’s not a problem here. Sadly our backyard isn’t just Molino anymore. Not with the entire world at our fingertips. Our children in our safe little community are in as much danger as the kids in bigger cities. All any of these predators need is one ticked off teenager whose mad at their parents and throws caution to the wind. That could be any of our kids.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FEATURE TOP STORY, Features, General