This past year, The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation completed a report called The Tennessee Human Sex Trafficking Study: The Impact on Children and Youth 2011. This study shines a spotlight on a disturbing crime trend that little is known about and is rarely publicized. Human sex trafficking involves the slavery of children and women forced to perform sex acts for money at various locations across the state for the purpose of making money for their captors. Basically, human sex trafficking is sexual slavery at its worst.
The National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Throwaway Children
reports that one in four children who run away from home are approached for commercial sexual exploitation within 48 hours of running away. The average age of a sex trafficking victim is 13. Trafficking victims rarely come forward to ask for help on their own because they are drugged, brainwashed, threatened and beaten into believing authorities will abuse them worse than their captors. Many times victims are arrested for crimes they are forced to commit. Inherently, cases against the traffickers are difficult for law enforcement to investigate and a challenge to prosecute. The ability to prosecute human trafficking under Tennessee’s law with more serious consequences is needed. Heavier sentences for offenders who subject their minor victims to violence and sex slavery as well as allowing victims to sue their captors under civil laws for damages would put a more stringent penalty on a horrendous crime.
We at noomozo would like to help the state of Tennessee, together with several non-profit organizations, to bring this these crimes to light and to gather public support and assistance to end slavery in the state of Tennessee and beyond. You can read more about this subject at this link:
http://www.tbi.state.tn.us/documents/FINALTNHumanSexTraffickingStudyColorrev2.pdf
The only way to stop human slavery is to expose it and to fight it, and this will take the efforts of all of us. In 2008, Bill and Derri Smith established a non-profit organization to help stop human trafficking, “End Slavery in Tennessee“.
The mission of End Slavery in Tennessee is to foster slave-free communities through prevention, education and community engagement. End Slavery in Tennessee is a volunteer-powered project under the direction of International Teams leaders, Bill and Derri Smith.
Their engaged army of volunteers is a grassroots expression of the International Teams ministry to vulnerable people. Their efforts include: (click each item for details)
- Rescuing Victims
- Protecting Youth
- Opening Professional Eyes
- Aiding Victims
- Slowing Demand
- Engaging the Next Generation
- Educating the Public
- Replicating Abolitionists
You can learn more about End Slavery in Tennessee @ http://www.endslaverytn.org/
You can also get involved this week in helping to end human trafficking by donating a few hours of your time on July 2nd, from 3:00 – 7:00 pm. End Slavery TN will be at Daily’s Truck stop in Lebanon, TN. They will be washing truckers’ cabs if they will lend a listening ear as they talk with them about human trafficking and equip them with the information they need to report it if it is seen. They will also be posting the hotline number in the women’s bathroom, and leaving info with management. They are not asking for money, and are bringing their own supplies to wash the trucks. They especially need men for safety reasons. Management at this stop informed them that it will be an extremely busy day there and they are so excited about that. If you would like to help wash trucks and learn how to get truckers involved in rescuing women and children from human trafficking, you may contact Lexie at lexerz09@yahoo.com for more information.
This is their first truck wash and they need a good turn out. The manager has notified them that this will be an extremely busy weekend for them, so they need anyone and everyone interested to be there. He has also given them permission to go beyond just washing cabs and talking to those drivers, and said that they can also talk with drivers at the pumps too! He is being incredibly gracious and supportive and only asks for professionalism during the time there. This is a HUGE opportunity. Who’s in?! Please RSVP on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206499096062163
There is especially a need for guys, and they need a good guy to girl ratio for safety. Please connect with Lexie and invite others to come with you. If you can’t make it to this one there will be plenty more! Be on the look out for the next one! If you are interested in being a part of this, they are having a washing training this weekend. Yes, it will help greatly if you come to this to help everyone work quickly and efficiently, and impress this stop. This is the first impression to the Tennessee truck driver world, and it needs to be a good one.
The words “Daily’s Truck Stop” are not on the building. The street address is 924 Murfreesboro Rd.–Hwy. 231.) What you will see is a Shell station & convenience market with a truck fueling area in the back. It’s off I-40 at Exit 238 (US 231), on the right just after you exit.
