Surviving Human Trafficking

Family policy matters in engaging and informative weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina family policy Council hi this is John Ralston, presidency, family, and were grateful to have you with us for this week's program is our prayer that you will be informed, encouraged and inspired by what you hear on family policy matters and that you will fold better equipped to be a voice of persuasion, family values in your community, state and nation, and now here's our house to family policy matters Tracy to bedrooms. Thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters hence can imagine a few nightmares more traumatic than the thought of their child being kidnapped or lured into a human trafficking ring today were joined by a mother and daughter Kelly and Courtney Litvack whose personal experience with human trafficking led them to start a national nonprofit called childproof America, which is aimed at empowering families in the battle against sex trafficking.

Courtney was recently appointed by Pres. Trump to the US advisory Council on human trafficking. Kelly and Courtney Litvack. Welcome to family policy matters are having their first of all I think it's important to begin by saying that human trafficking can take many forms and can involve forced labor of any kind and not necessarily sex-related that your organization focuses mostly on sex trafficking is not correct, that is correct. Tracy there is globally a very powerful and destructive epidemic that is under the umbrella trafficking labor trafficking being wine and sex trafficking being the other topic America focused exclusively on sex trafficking in this cause is very personal for you two could you tell us why.

Tracy back in 2015, our beautiful daughter was pursued in her high school in suburbia and at that time at a parent I would bury ill-equipped to understand what issue was and go because of that and a lot of other factors. We were not able the case intensified and our daughter was pursued in approaching her 18th birthday going on my moms talking about personal to it. This is something we felt big fiber leader now moved through this again yet again and my community began with mutual friend personal and so many ways personal to everybody but just reminding ourselves where this all began, and That we experience in wanting to fill those gaps. Brother people we can prevent many people as possible experiencing and going through what my family and myself right and it looks much different doesn't and I think most people might think, you left your home. We willingly got into car and went with them and stayed with them to talk a little bit about this Luer and what what caused you to voluntarily walk into that life all about. During her teenage years go through very time I myself a very hard time in high school, where I experienced a hard break and I got used to the relationship and not abusive relationship led to trauma that ultimately dude me getting involved in very unhealthy relationship partaking in very risky and unhealthy behaviors and experimenting with medicating myself back in high form fill all of that drew the attention of very bad people who had very bad intention for me but despite himself the wonderful people who actually had my best interest to follow my problem and now what I want to make a point in point this out. With that being said, that they can solve your problem.

Nobody nobody can do.is not humanly possible not be a huge red flag instead of moving on from that I believed I found my solution to all of my problems to my heart, my trauma, you know all the things I had been in that ultimately led to me getting involved in life sex trafficking and what really into this new reality that I thought was pollution to all my problems. Tracy there was one part of your question that I think is incredibly important for us to address and that was physically when Courtney left our home just after her 18th birthday and got in the car with the individual who had been communicating with her.

I think it's important you have Courtney speak to that, a keypad and know what transpired right from there yes to what is important for people to understand that so much of the communication with yes and person might want in my community but over social media. So somebody I never met one social media being grew by more people at the same time one individual might been conversing with online via snapshot and Instagram to major social media popcorn. Do you today and then I met this person for the first time that Dan got the car with them and as soon as I got the card method for the first time I saw that I had been misled and I could tell that I would be a dangerous situation and that I had lost control. Now the situation I was in, but it took up until about 20 much competent use so reassured via screen to other people that you finally when you see face-to-face what been pursuing you the whole time in the true intention that lies beneath the entire time was exposed about the service of this person does not have your best interest and and shot and planning to exploit profit from you from gaining your trust in the same time. Reality does not ship until it is too late and they know that this is methodical process that is very important for people to know more about right so this is part of the whole grooming process.

Could you explain what that is for people that may not understand what that is yes. Tracy I can eat that the grooming stages and behavior sectors that are so classic and very consistent throughout many many cases that we have worked on the grooming process will start very steadily. So in our case is typically with our daughter.

It was just befriending people were coming into her life and striking up a conversation in a relationship with you during normal during teen years and then that escalates to isolation and introduction of substantive and so we as parents at that point, Dalton very clear behavior changes.

We were not able to identify exactly what was going on grooming for sex trafficking never entered our mind. We felt that no teenager she was rebelling she was trying to find her independent and doing what normal teens do. But as things escalated the behavior became so severe and by the time we found out what was going on she would eat into the grooming process and bury brainwashed and at that point it's very important for the truckers and groomers to separate their target problem.

Their authority in their life which was as parent and so we were now the enemy we were just completely out of control and that is very classic at the grooming process so Courtney talk about why you couldn't walk away. Once you realize that you are in a dangerous place and you had been misled want To their question is so important to be talked about the address but not a clear-cut answer that people are able to come to their own conclusion so much more to the brainwashing to the mental control.what people needed you not cowardly when he will someone be held against their will, and she made a leaping down something where they are with her in danger and otherwise.

All she not the case be referred to many names of people he understand this computer pending and romancing trafficking because when you're free and you're engaging in human so people need to break. I realize more about relationship and people are so when people hoarding through the growing emotional connection in that relationship there in person, call control and what their living with Jean. I mean trusted and engaged in converter and began to care related physically go view without person now. There is a control mental control is physical control, mental brainwashing keep people from leaving you have in your mind even when you're not around you right, you don't alleviate any what you really done so for you then you and have a dialogue with you right now for the listeners individual to sponsor all deeply immersed in the life, whether they know it will fully and why people do not leave that is frightening for any parent that has had a rebellious teenager. You can certainly see one how they could be taken in by that and then the control is is is really frightening. Kelly was so what are some things that parents can do then to help protect their children from falling prey to this kind human trafficking absolutely.

Parents need to understand the issue.

Parents need to remove any kind of thought process that says not my kid, I train my kid stranger danger. People need to accept that this is a real, very masterful crime that can infiltrate the best of families and the best defense for parent is to understand the issue and have their children understand the issue.

Social media is a major gateway for predators to get access to kids and parents need to really communicate and have those safeguards in place with their children so their children understand that just because they're sitting in her bedroom and are on a device that that is not necessarily at all mean that they're safe.

So parent guardians, schoolteachers, counselors, law enforcement, everyone needs to speak the same language and fully understand access points that predators used to gain that relationship with unsuspecting you and it's very important to note that you don't have to be a child to be exploited.

A lot of kids we are seeing are getting groomed at 17 and then they're gone. At 18, because the truckers know that parent, guardian lacked that parental control after that child turns 18.

So we see kids being groomed or young adults. We groomed on college campuses, so this definitely doesn't just affect minors. It is definitely widespread and across the young adult community as well.

Conversation with you and and letting them be heard invalidating and meeting them where they're at. Rather than talking down to you and me when I was frankly the arms of these people just looks so good, so real, it was still like everything that I need in my life right now. They have the feeling you are not hurting people are heard and it is so important conversation. Thank you. It's been a pleasure getting a glimpse into your lives, and thank you for all of it that you both are doing just about out of time for this week, so if people want to learn more.

Where where would you suggest that they go to they can visit our website at childproof America.or what that website again is childproof America.org and Kelly and Courtney Litvack with childproof America. Thank you so much for joining us today on family policy matters. You can listing the family policy matters.

We hope you enjoyed the program employment to them again next week to listen to the show online insulin more about into families want to inform, encourage and inspire families across both a lot of good or website it into family.award that's into family.org books again for listening and may God bless you and your family