On March 20, Theresa Flores of Deerfield, Mich., came to Monroe High to talk to freshmen about her own experience and what to watch for in human sex trafficking.
Flores was only the age of 14 when she was put into human sex trafficking. She has written three books since her experience. She told the freshmen about the signs to look for in a peer or child that is involved in human sex trafficking. These signs include: bruising, hotel keys, having older boyfriends, large amounts of cash on them, having diseases, taking frequent pregnancy tests, running away, and often missing school.
“You might never suspect it,” said Flores, “but your best friend could be a victim of this. My advice is to always say ‘what if?’”
Three percent of people put through sex trafficking are kidnapped, 35 percent are sold by their own families, the other 62 percent are tricked into it by another person. Their main target of girls is the shy ones.
According to the presentation, 100,000 US youth are being trafficked and, surprisingly, Toledo is the third biggest trafficking city in the country, Ohio, the fifth leading state in the country in human trafficking.
“These men are still out there; they are still living in Detroit,” said Flores. “The only way to prevent this is arresting the guy, the demand. The girls are getting arrested for teen prostitution.” When the girls are found, the guys are never caught; the girls get in trouble for prostitution, she said.
If you know anyone, or you yourself are involved in human sex trafficking, the trafficking hotline is 1-888-3737-888.