Many of us are influenced by the media whether it be social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. etc., or news media like MSNBC, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, etc. etc. The majority of media in the Modern Age era comes from the television. Everyone likes their shows from I Love Lucy to Law & Order: SVU. While many shows are just for pure entertainment, there are actual shows that have some type of truth to its viewers.

There are issues across the world that aren’t spoken of. While others consider it a sensitive issue, others see it as taboo or uncomfortable to talk about. Despite anyone hardly talking about these issues in their everyday lives, some issues are just not meant to be hidden. ABC’s hit TV series Law & Order: SVU, show most of the cases involving “sensitive issues” such as sexual assault or rape victims. Other cases have involved kidnapping psychopaths, terrorists, pedophiles, and human traffickers. Every case even as dramatic as this TV series embellishes, does reveal important crimes that do need to be addressed and not hidden any longer. One of these crimes struck me the most.

The fastest growing crime of them all: Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is the fast growing crime in the world with over 20 million people are being trafficking globally that's seen everyday and has grown to a $32 billion-a-year industry. In rural and urban areas, human trafficking victims may not be seen on a daily basis; however, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t happening. In highly populated areas, especially in cities like New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Miami, human trafficking victims are visible with the naked eye. While someone sees them as prostitutes, strippers, whores, sluts, etc. etc, the majority of these victims are human trafficked right in our front view and rear view mirror without us making a sound.

Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that allows traffickers to use coercive techniques such as lying and promising they will be taken cared of to control their victims for the sole purpose of using them as slaves against their will. While a small portion of these modern-day slaves are used as manual laborers or drug mules, the majority of them are forced into sex laborers such as prostitutes, strippers, escorts. While stereotypes on television shows base these crimes on just one gender, in reality both males and females are forced to committing sexual acts with multiple partners for many years and start at an early age. Some of these victims end up becoming traffickers and upper echelon members in their respective trafficking rings as well.

The pain each of these victims go through is very traumatic and causes severe mental, physical, emotional, and intellectual issues as they grow. The abuse affects them to feeling alone, depressed, worthless, lifeless.Only 1% of human trafficking victims are rescued. That's 1% out of over 20 million victims of human trafficking, in particular, sex trafficking victims. Every single victim is brutally beaten, tortured, raped, sexually assaulted, branded, mentally abused, and stripped down of their sense of humanity. Many of these victims are on average of 12 years old when starting in this so-called, "industry." That can be a brother, sister, niece, nephew, godchild, grandchild- YOUR brother, sister, niece, nephew, godchild, grandchild.

If you or you know someone who is in need of help, then please call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline number 1-888-373-7888 or text "BeFree" to 233733.

If you suspect of a potential human trafficking situation, then please call 1-888-373-7888, text "BeFree" to 233733, or submit an online tip report at Human Trafficking Tip Hotline.

If you'd like to find out more information about being active, then please check out these organizations as they have been a force with policy and productivity to step in the right direction to stop the violence, prevent the crimes, and rescue those who are wanting to be rescued.

A21 Campaign, Nonprofit Organization

Polaris: Freedom happens now.

Every 30 seconds, someone new becomes a victim of Human Trafficking. Don't let your ignorance deceive you. Open your eyes. Open your mind. They're out there hiding in plain sight.