When many people think of the issues of sex trafficking, they think of generations ago when women were severely oppressed. However, the sad truth is that this is still occurring today, and we need to be more aware of the signs of sex trafficking.

The typical victims of sex trafficking are middle and high school girls. Sickening, I know. Traffickers will often use social media to stalk these young girls and find out any information that they might need. Age is the primary factor that makes a child vulnerable to sex trafficking. These pimps will practically go anywhere: the mall, schools, parks, bus stops... you name it, to find these young adolescents. That’s why it is always important to be aware of what you post on social media because you never know who is looking at it other than your friends and family.

Unfortunately, recently when I have been scrolling through Facebook, I have been running into an increasingly large amount of posts about suspicious sex trafficking. Bystanders have noticed these incidents on airplanes, malls, etc. It’s a petrifying time to be alive here in America, yet we need to come together and be aware of these signs and put a stop to it.

Human sex trafficking is the most common form of modern-day slavery. Many of us, including myself, are often oblivious to how widespread this epidemic is. Much of sex trafficking is international, taking women from all over and away from their families. However, there is also a sizeable amount of sex trafficking that can occur close to their own home, yet many are unaware of it.

Sex trafficking is continuing to rise up as a billion dollar industry, where girls are sold for about $400 . And let me tell you, no girl should have a price tag on them. Just in 2012 alone, there were 2.4 million people in the world who were victims of sex trafficking.

It’s time to take a stand and stop hiding behind closed doors. Sex trafficking is all around us and will continue to rise if we don’t put a stop to this modern-day slavery.