What You Need to Know NOW to Keep Your Child Safer from Traffickers

January 11 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Reports of online sexual exploitation of children have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as predators take advantage of the fact that kids are often unsupervised and spending more time online for distance learning and entertainment. 

Sex traffickers are using the internet to target unsuspecting and vulnerable youth and forcing them into commercial sexual exploitation:

• A research study showed that 55% of victims of sex trafficking who were minors met their traffickers through a website or mobile app. 
• The month following sheltering in place orders, reports of sex trafficking crisis cases handled by the Trafficking Hotline increased by more than 40% compared to the prior month.  

Much like the grooming tactics employed by sexual predators, sex traffickers lure their target into an online relationship, with the ultimate goal of meeting in person. 

It's critical, now more than ever, to monitor all online activities and keep your children's digital devices secured:

• Set Parental Controls and use filters on all devices that connect to the internet
• Check privacy settings on all social media accounts 
• Teach your child not to reveal too much personal information or their location
• Know who they are communicating via texts, instant messages, social posts, and while using voice chat on gaming systems.
• Frequently monitor their online activity and social media accounts, keeping lines of communication open about their internet activity.

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is recognized each year on January 11^th.

Today and throughout the year, EIE continues to do its part to educate and empower the public about the dangerous internet threats children can encounter, and advocate for policy designed to curb these threats, support victims of internet exploitation, and increase big tech accountability.

We could really use your most generous gift as we continue to work to defend a protected period of innocence for children! 

Fund the Fight! Join our funding family by making a tax-deductible donation, or become an ongoing partner:

• Safety Defender ($10/month)
• Change Agent ($25/month)
• Donna's Team ($50/month)
• The President’s Circle ($500/year)
• CEO’s Circle! ($1,000/year)

For more information on sex trafficking tactics, targets, and grooming techniques, as well as the role internet pornography plays in fueling sexual exploitation, please visit our Predators 101 section located on our Internet Safety 101^® website.

Thanks so much for for staying in the fight!

The Team at Enough Is Enough^®
Your Internet Safety Experts