Child Safety Tips:
Kidnapping Escape
Lifelong Skills for Kids, Teens, and Adults
The internet has a bewildering jumble of child safety tips and videos for kidnapping prevention and escape. This page organizes the best of them into an all-in-one guide to lifelong, simple yet powerful escapes from bullies, rapists, kidnappers, and human traffickers.
Predators thrive on the innocent ignorance of their prey. You’ll learn all their tricks and how most kidnappers now prowl online to set off-line traps – and how to safeguard your kids both online and in face-to-face confrontations. And you’ll also see how to help the police rescue children, teens, and adults who’ve been kidnapped into human trafficking.
In all, top experts teach kidnap prevention, escape, and rescue – from A to Z. And there are two bonuses: you, as a parent teaching your child, will also learn how to protect yourself as you both learn lifelong skills together; and you’ll begin having regular parent/child safety conversations – which are crucial – as you’ll see below.
Overview
Bob Lowery
of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said, “I do
want to caution that we don’t want to frighten children to the point
that they don’t go outside.” .... “The world is generally safe. But,
it’s wise to have candid conversations with children and teach them
what they might encounter and teach them what to do...” .... “Our children just need to be educated....” [emphasis added] And, “When entering
places like an amusement park or crowded malls, take a moment to take a
picture of a child to know what they are wearing all the way down to
their shoes. When a child is abducted, or is missing, even finding a
picture of a child becomes a monumental crisis,” he said. “Moments of panic just overwhelm us, even just a simple task.”
See How to Keep Track of Your Kid at a Crowded Event and also see Use a 'Family Whistle' to Quickly Find Your Kid in a Crowd .
From MissingKids.org [NCMEC 800-THE-LOST (800-843-5678)]: “Children got away from offenders in a variety of ways, including ignoring or refusing them, using their cell phones to threaten intervention, fighting, screaming/making noise, child or adult intervention and, ultimately, by the offender or child leaving the area or the child being voluntarily released. Of these ways, screaming/making noise was the only child behavior that increased the likelihood of an offender’s arrest because it specifically increased the chances of adult intervention.” [emphasis added] See more at Stranger Danger vs Stranger Safety FAQ
“Our children just need to be educated....”
Rebecca Savarese was walking to school alone in Pittsfield MA on a wintry morning in January 1994. A man exited his pickup truck at the curb of a very busy intersection, showed her a handgun, then grabbed her backpack and pulled the 12-year-old toward his truck. Despite the handgun, she cleverly faked an asthma attack and collapsed, then wriggled out of her jacket and backpack and spun away – then ran to a distant snowplow driver for help. The attempted-kidnapper drove away. Only one of many passersby noticed the kidnapping attempt and wrote down the truck’s license plate number, leading to Lewis Lent’s arrest – a monstrous serial-killer of children.
‘Snatch-and-run’ kidnappings by strangers, while rare, happen most often when a child is alone. But Rebecca had followed her mother's child safety tips – to defy an adult and fight to escape immediately. Odds of survival are far better on the spot rather than at a secluded secondary crime scene.
Through role-playing and the video links below, you can turn the odds more in your favor by teaching your children how to escape from a bully, rapist, or kidnapper. (And again, these are simple yet powerful lifelong skills both for your child and for you, the parent.)
Today, predators still prowl outdoors but most now prowl on the internet by luring victims then exploiting them either online (see FBI - 1,000 victims in sextortion case) or offline (in person). Here are the lures for both outdoors and online:
Common Lures Are Tested
►Lured by puppy, kids fail Predator Test
| Kyra Phillips - CNN | video 1m59s | Moms are shocked at their kids'
response to a producer posing as a would-be child predator. |
►Lessons from kids who passed the Predator Test
| Raising America with Kyra Phillips - CNN | video 3m52s | They put 20
children to the test. A total of 13 children passed. What made them
decide not to follow an unknown man with a cute puppy? They all quoted
valuable lessons from their parents. |
►What would your child do? New ways to teach children about strangers | Tram Mai - 12 News KPNX-TV, NBC | video 3m29s | Police say it's not enough to just 'talk' to kids about
danger, you should test them. We put kids to the test while parents
watched. | (See Child Safety – Outdoors for more Common Kidnapping Lures.)
►Stranger Danger Shocks Teens | Dave Carlin - CBS-2 New York | video 2m47s | As a test, secret online dates that became surprise attacks are drastic lessons for the poor girls, but teach a good lesson for other teens to simply watch and learn. |
►Child Predator Finds A Target
| What Would You Do? | John Quinones – ABC News | video 9m47s |
Bystanders see a teenage girl meeting up with a stranger she met online
who is clearly an online predator. Would you intervene on the child's
behalf? |
► How A 17-Year-Old Girl Was Nearly Lured Overseas By Stranger She Met Online | Megyn Kelly - Today Show - NBC | video 10m36s | When an American girl met a stranger online, she’d thought she’d found love. Instead, she was nearly lured into danger in Kosovo. | 2:13 Luckily, her father found out. | 3:05 The FBI listed possible human trafficking (for prostitution), citizenship scam (extortion or kidnapping), or organ harvesting. | 8:53 Tips for internet safety | Also see Internet Safety For Kids & Parents – FAQ |
►Signs teens are being targeted for sex trafficking | Renee Nelson – Fox 10 Phoenix | Technology, with all of its benefits, is unfortunately also making it easier for
predators
to target kids. | video 2m38s
*
New, older friends (too unlikely to be authentic), or young teens working for traffickers,
*
Increasing amount of time online,
*
Suddenly changed appearance,
*
New electronics or new clothes (or money),
*
Withdrawn from family.
►7 Signs Your Child is Being “Groomed” for Trafficking, Sexploitation, or Worse - and how to report it.
►Sex Predator Targeting Their Children Was Life-Changing For Couple Now On Anti-Human Trafficking Crusade. Parents must control kids online.
“Nothing takes the place of parental or trusted adult supervision and attention,” said Nancy McBride [emphasis added], as director of prevention education at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “Obviously, that's true for younger children, but it's just as true for older children.” And, “When the child's relationship with their parents isn’t strong, their communication breaks down and that makes the child vulnerable to online predators,” McBride said. See safety tips at ConsumerNotice: Internet Safety for Kids and see parental control apps at How to Keep Kids Safe on YouTube and Internet Streaming .
►Also see Child Molester's Signs of Abuse and Safeguarding Children from Molesters
► Three percent of men are pedophiles. That means 1 man in 33 craves sex with a child. Why tempt him with your unsupervised child? See the risks of raising Free-Range Kids vs Safe-Range Kids.
Stranger Danger Escape Lessons
► Child Safety Tips from KinderVision with Detective Chris McDonough, a police specialist in child safety. | video
9m45s | 0:01 Stranger’s lures | 1:49 Not leaving a child alone in a car
| 2:00 Public restrooms and the “buddy system” | 2:28 Avoid secluded
areas | 3:01 Yelling "NO!" and more stranger’s lures | 4:04
Resisting a stranger | 4:20 Calling 9-1-1 emergency | 4:36 Secret code
or password | 5:31 Parent to child: “If I don’t know, you don’t go (anywhere).” | 5:39 Know the names of
your child’s playmates and their parent's phone numbers | 5:54 Safe
havens to run to | 6:32 Online safety | 7:29 Answering the doorbell
(also read Push-In for more) | See more KinderVision videos for children. Also see kidsmartz.
► Thrash, fight, bite, and yell, "Help! Police!" or "NO!" repeatedly, shed a jacket or backpack that is grabbed, drop any excess baggage slowing them down and run away to a populated area. Yell! Run! Tell! A kidnapper fears a public spectacle and may simply flee alone. Also, witnesses may intervene, or at least identify the kidnapper and/or vehicle. (And read How to protect kids from predators and kidnappers from Today - NBC with 40 tips from former FBI agent Clint Van Zandt.)
► How to Prevent Being abducted! - with Jiu Jitsu expert and retired police officer Steve Kardian | video 5m28s | Note: This applies to teens (and adults) for kidnap escape as well as rape escape. | 2:51 Kicking from the Ground (these Defensive-Ground-Kicks are also shown below in the Tracie Arlington video for younger kids). | 3:51 Front Pick-Up Breakaway | 4:30 Rear Pick-Up Breakaway |
► If a kidnapper uses a weapon to threaten a child, simply ignore it and run away while yelling "Help! Police!" or "NO!" A weapon is used to scare – rarely to harm a child. That would ruin his plans for a healthy victim. Besides, for one example, serial killer Lewis Lent (mentioned above) used a handgun to try to scare Rebecca - but he wouldn’t dare fire it – especially in a public place. And again, odds of survival are far better on the spot rather than a prolonged capture at a secluded secondary crime scene.
► A nimble child might dodge a kidnapper by running in a circle around a tree or a large object such as a parked car – as in playing ‘tag’ (or ‘chasey’), the children’s game – while yelling “Help! Police!” or "NO!" Then keep yelling while running toward a populated area.
► Activate their personal security alarm (noisemaker or screamer) and run away toward a populated area. Most kidnappers won’t chase a noisy target. [Caution: to be used with the utmost parental discretion, supervision, and attention.]
► How To Protect Yourself From An Attack | NBC - The Meredith Vieira Show with Jiu Jitsu expert and retired police officer Steve Kardian | video 3m49s | Note: This applies to teens (and adults) for kidnap escape as well as rape escape. Younger kids may skip to the 'Escaping From A Wrist-Grab' section below. | 0:47 Wrist-Grab/Defensive Ground-Kicks | 1:16 Choke-Hold Escape | 1:46 Pinned-Down Escape |
► Also see the Clinch Attacks at Fighting Strategies, Rape Escape Options - Ultimate, and Self Defense Techniques For Women - (all three pages also apply to teens).
Escaping from a Wrist-Grab
(this is for kids, teens, and adults)
The horrifying security camera video from Evie's Car Wash in Sarasota FL shows 11-year-old Carlie Brucia being led to her death by Joseph P. Smith in 2004 – the first time the world actually saw a monster kidnapping a child – pulling her by her wrist out of sight. She barely resisted.
A Personal Security Alarm (noisemaker or screamer) might have deterred her attacker and/or summoned a rescuer. [Caution: to be used with the utmost parental discretion, supervision, and attention.] Or she might have escaped had she known how to simply 'break away' from a wrist-grab (a common ‘capture grab’) – as shown on these videos:
► Wrist Grab Release by World Jujitsu Champion Anthony Britton | video 1m32s | (Btw, a “Release” is also known as a “Breakaway.”)
| 0:11 Wrist Grab Release (his right hand grabs her left wrist). | 0:29 The weak-point in his grip is where his thumb meets his fingertips.| 0:40 She rotates her wrist toward his weak-point while she bends her elbow - thus releasing his grip. | 0:55 She strikes him and flees. | 0:59 Cross-Grab Release (his right hand grabs her right wrist). | 1:08 Again, she rotates her wrist toward his weak-point while she bends her elbow - releasing his grip as she strikes him and flees. | Note: This is very simple and effective after you try it a few times. To learn/feel how it works, grab your right wrist with your left hand and see how your grip has four fingers on one side of your right wrist and only one thumb on the other side. Your grip’s weak-point (also known as the “hole”) is where your fingertips meet your thumb's tip. Now, to ‘break-away’ from your left-handed grip, simply twist your right wrist while bending your right elbow to go through your grip's weak-point (the “hole”). That same breakaway also works when someone else grabs your wrist – as shown in the video.]
►Kids Self Defense - Lesson 1 - Breaking Grips | by Jiu Jitsu expert Brandon McCaghren | video 1m42s | 0:24 Wrist-Grab Breakaway | 1:01 Wrist-Grab Breakaway (both wrists - “L&7”) and Knee-Strike |
The next video shows a simpler Wrist-Grab Breakaway ("going through the hole"). It happens automatically when the child purposely drops down to sit on the ground (to use Defensive-Ground-Kicks), as you’ll see:
►Tracie Arlington Shows Self-Defense Tips for Kids on Dr. Phil | video 2m46s | 0:15 “Temper Tantrum Attitude” (an effective mindset) | 0:26 Defensive-Ground-Kicks (That’s sitting on your butt and kicking the attacker's knees – putting your hands on the ground behind you to brace yourself and to swivel around on your butt as needed. Use the bottom of your heel to kick his knees (the most vulnerable targets on his legs). If he grabs your ankle, kick his hand with your other foot. If he tries kicking you, block his kick with your kick and/or kick his supporting leg's knee. Defensive-Ground-Kicks are THE most powerful defensive position for kids, teens, and adults.) | 1:08 Rear-Pickup/Bite Breakaway |
Note: There's an old debate among safety teachers as to which ‘distress signal’ kids should yell when attacked. Their differing opinions often confuse parents. Finally, it’s time to clarify the issues:
The valuable video above is by a superb teacher who teaches a common distress signal for kids – to repeatedly yell, “Stranger Danger! 9-1-1” if they’re attacked. But some other teachers disagree because, unfortunately, those seven syllables are quite a mouthful to remember and clearly pronounce during the sudden shock of a surprise attack by a stranger. The video shows the girls’ often garbled yells – even though they were fully prepped in a safe TV studio with a loving teacher. And at what age do kids outgrow that awkward yell? Their teens? Adulthood? And then what?
The answer is to keep it simple! All SOS Distress Signals must be clear and simple. Of course, the clearest and simplest of all is a scream! However, some teachers claim that a scream (or yelling “NO!” or “HELP!”) ) might sound like a kid is merely playing (or disobeying a parent) – and a bystander might ignore it. So, with the best of intentions, they invent other distress signals, such as “You’re not my Daddy!” – and other variations that are hard to remember and clearly pronounce in the shock of a surprise attack. And they’d not apply to bullying, groping, or other assaults by other kids. That's not keeping it simple.
Instead, a popular option that is more clear, simple, and brief – for all ages and all crimes – is to repeatedly yell “Help! Police!” – which is effective, and has only three syllables to remember and pronounce.
Or even simpler, repeatedly yell, “NO!” – an obvious distress signal from anyone – especially from a child who is resisting an adult (or any aggressor). Overall, the clearly defiant “NO!” is only one syllable, is easily remembered and pronounced, applies to all assaults – and is more assertive and empowering for fighting to escape.
[A witness who intervenes might quickly find out if an adult (or any aggressor) is indeed the child’s guardian - or a kidnapper. That might cause an actual kidnapper to flee – alone – or help the witness identify him for the police.]
Also, the “9-1-1” part would not work for many of this website’s visitors (from all over the globe). And it may not work for anyone traveling in a foreign country. That’s because most of the195 countries worldwide do not use ‘9-1-1’ as their emergency phone number (see List of emergency telephone numbers). Besides, bystanders already know their local emergency number – they don’t need a reminder – it’s just needless clutter in a crisis. Remember to keep it simple.
Of course, you’re free to choose any distress signal you prefer. But do not choose to yell the ridiculous “Fire!” as a distress signal for a crime! That foolish advice is debunked at the Kitty Genovese Syndrome.
Nevertheless, beyond the ‘distress signal debate’ (which helps clarify the issues), the video above is a gem. The ‘Temper Tantrum Attitude’ is a good mindset for younger kids. (For older kids, teens, and adults, read The Optimal Mindset for Saving Your Life and Acting - Role Playing for Real.) And the Defensive-Ground-Kicks are a powerful defense – plus they're quick and easy to practice with your kids.
The videos above are just a few minutes each, yet so sensible. Practice them at least once daily until your child reacts reflexively without prompting (after maybe 5-10 days). Then have the occasional refresher session. [You can also take them to radKIDS for self-defense and all-around child safety tips (see the details at the end of this page). After that, they might want to enroll in a martial arts program. See Choosing a Self-Defense Class]
If the Child is Already in the Kidnapper's Car
(this is for kids, teens, and adults)
The goal is to stop the kidnapper – the sooner the
better – from driving the child to a secluded location. The child must try to
disrupt the kidnapper’s ability to drive and/or cause the car to crash
while it’s moving at a very slow speed. This will attract the attention of witnesses and give the child a chance to escape. For example:
Louisiana teen girls, held at gunpoint, force car crash to escape kidnapper. | A gunman forced two girls, ages 14 and 15, into his car, where a struggle ensued as he drove away. The teens kept grabbing the steering wheel, eventually causing the car to crash a few miles away. “We did fight for the wheel for a while and I finally won and jerked it,” the 14-year-old girl said. “We did hit two cars in the process and me and my friend walked out, running for help and these two guys tackled the kidnapper.”
CAUTION: These child safety tips and escape maneuvers may injure the child or others. The parents must assume all responsibility and decide if the benefit outweighs the risk. Carefully practice these maneuvers in a parked vehicle with the motor turned off, and slowly play-act (while explaining) the following:
► If she's in the front passenger seat, immediately, before he even begins to drive her away, she can thrust herself between the driver and steering wheel – hanging onto the steering wheel with all her strength while blaring the horn. Do this as soon as possible – or whenever she gets the chance. (Rehearse this while pretending to blare the horn - to avoid false-alarming your neighbors.) See Ways your kids can escape a possible car abduction
► Yell “Help! Police!” whenever a window or door is opened. (Rehearse this with fake, low-volume yells - to avoid false-alarming your neighbors.)
► Grab the steering wheel with all her strength while he’s in mid-turn - at a slow speed. (Rehearse this with the motor off and the driver pretending to turn the wheel.)
► Brace her back against the door and attack the kidnapper with the powerful Defensive-Ground-Kicks taught in the Tracie Arlington video above (and in Fighting Strategies). He won’t be able to drive while absorbing a rapid-fire barrage of such kicks. (Rehearse this with fake, slo-mo kicks, of course.)
► If she’s a back-seat passenger – at a critical time – she may still be able to attack the driver by clawing at his eyes from behind. At a very slow speed, cause the car to crash!
► Unlock the door and jump out whenever the car is not moving. See 2 young children escape from an alleged kidnapper | video 2m28s | A grandmother exited her car to quickly drop off a package, leaving the motor running with her grandkids in the backseat. A predator saw his chance and jumped into the driver’s seat and began driving away. The children, ages 8 and 10, reacted bravely by jumping out of the (slowly) moving car as their grandmother chased along the other side. The kidnapper/carjacker had clung onto the girl’s hoodie, but her heroic brother pulled her away and out of the car as they escaped together. The kidnapper stole the car, but not the kids. |
► How To Escape From A Locked Trunk Using A Required Safety Feature | Today - NBC with Jeff Rossen | video 5m43s | A kidnapped nursing student’s daring escape from the trunk of a (slowly) moving car spotlighted a safety feature many people don’t know about. | 0:50 Trunk-Latch Release (in cars since 2001) and how to find it | 3:52 Special Forces officer Michael Hawk shows how to escape from Hand-Ties (Zip ties) |
► Escape Techniques That Could Save Your Life | Dateline - NBC News with Andrea Canning | video 5m35s | 0:13 Escaping Front Duct-Tape Wrist-Binding | 0:34 Former CIA Officer Jason Hanson | 0:48 Escaping Rear Duct-Tape Wrist-Binding | 1:43 Escaping Front Rope Wrist-Binding | 2:26 Locked in a car trunk - Trunk-Latch Release | 3:11 A second car trunk escape - Seat-Back Release | 3:28 Kid test | 4:08 How to break a (side) car window from the inside – use the bottoms of your heels to kick out a low corner of the glass (the entire window will shatter). |
See Silent SOS Signals on Survival Options -SOS (at the end of that page).
Children Who Survived Kidnapping
In 2003, 9-year-old Jeannette Tamayo was walking home alone from her San Jose CA school when David Montiel Cruz followed her into her house (the slang term for that is "tailgating"). He beat her mother and brother, then took off with Tamayo in handcuffs. He began raping and threatening to kill her over the course of two days. She felt panic when he spoke on his cellphone about killing her and thought, “Oh, my God! I have to find a way out.” She claimed that she had asthma and would die without treatment. Is it possible he felt sympathy for her? Or was he already spooked by intense media coverage and an Amber Alert? Either way, he dropped her off "unharmed." She helped police find him by having memorized his cellphone number - so savvy for a 9-year-old in a life-or-death crisis.
► A YouTube search for “sex trafficking survivor” shows hundreds of videos of kidnap victims who were rescued or escaped on their own.
► Watch This 8-Year-Old Sister Save Her Baby Brother From Kidnapping | Inside Edition - CBS | video 2m6s | In an appalling security camera video, a stranger is running with a 22-month-old baby in his arms, followed by a little girl chasing after him, screaming. (Soon after, off-camera, the kidnapper put the unharmed baby on the ground and ran away.)
How can anyone even think about stealing a baby? And then actually do it?
Missing Children: Kidnapped into Sexual Slavery
Kidnappers, traffickers, and pimps trap and sell kids for sex – from babies to teens. And
they make a lot of money from their perverted customers. They also trap and sell adults for enslaved sex and/or labor.
“Human Trafficking” is a polite name for trapping, kidnapping, and enslaving innocent victims. “Modern Slavery” is a more accurate name. It’s a form of ancient slavery empowered now by a high-tech world. Here’s how human trafficking works and how you can spot it and help the police rescue a victim from a hellish life.
Fact vs Fiction
Factual child sex slavery is far less fantastical than the wildly exaggerated, fictional modern urban myths, yet in fact involves millions of victims in 155 countries and many thousands of victims throughout all 50 U.S. states.
(It’s hard for even top authorities to find reliable human trafficking statistics because it’s a hidden crime – and the victims rarely call the police to report it. So the statistical estimates vary among the experts.)
The most infamous villain in U.S. history was Jeffrey Epstein. France’s villain is Epstein’s cohort, Jean Luc Brunel. Canada’s villain is fashion mogul Peter Nygard. Australia’s villain is the worst of all – Peter Scully. And beyond them, the global, multi-billion dollar Modern Slavery industry receives routine attention in the major news media with millions of victims trafficked for sex and/or labor year after year. Here are the facts:
►U.S. Department of State: 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report says “Human trafficking cases have been reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.” Many stunning details are in the last paragraph of that page.
► "Global Human Trafficking involves people being bought, sold, and forced into slave labor and/or sexual exploitation. The United Nations says four million people are traded each year against their will to work in servitude in their own country or around the globe.
► United Nations - Office on Drugs and Crime - Global Report on Trafficking in Persons - "Although trafficking in 155 countries seems to imply people moving across continents, most exploitation takes place close to home."
► Human Trafficking - IOSI GLOBAL - The International Labour Organisation "estimates that 40.3 million people are currently victims of human trafficking globally. More slaves exist today than at any other point in history. Despite the numbers and their significance, little is known about Human Trafficking by the general public, and the little that has been done in an attempt to combat human trafficking has been unsuccessful." [However, the U.S. Department of State: About Human Trafficking says there are “...an estimated 24.9 million victims worldwide at any given time...” and “It is hard to find reliable statistics related to human trafficking.”]
► Interpol - Human trafficking [Interpol is an international police organization serving all 195 countries.] "Human trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar form of international organized crime, constituting modern-day slavery. It is the sale of humans, especially women and children, for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or prostitution. This also includes providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extraction of organs or tissues, including for surrogacy and ova removal – and does not necessarily involve the movement of the person from one place to another."
How Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery Traps Victims
Most human trafficking happens when someone is recruited for an attractive job, whether nearby or far away, but instead is trapped in modern slavery – either for labor and/or for sex. It’s a “bait-and-switch” scam that puts them at the mercy of the traffickers. Read She Thought a Job Was Waiting for Her in Europe. Then she met her trafficker. And vulnerable college students can be tricked and trapped.
Traffickers use online social networks to build false
friendships and advertise false job opportunities. Traffickers also recruit off-line (in-person)
from schools, shopping centers, parks, bus and train stations,
and the streets. Or they can be family
members of people the victim thinks are their friends. And sometimes, even the victim’s own parents are the villains!
The roles of recruiters, kidnappers, traffickers, and pimps are
basically the same. One “facilitator,” whether male or female, whether teenager or adult, may perform any of the four roles at
one time or another – and they usually work as teams – such as the Texas family charged in alleged sex trafficking ring at Houston bar
A common
victim profile is of a girl 12-14 years old who’s desperate to flee her sad
life – or may have already run away from home. A trafficker hunting for
vulnerable kids may tell her she’s beautiful, promise her a job in
modeling, TV, film, or dance, groom her with gifts, and/or may act like a
boyfriend (a.k.a. a “Romeo Pimp”). Trusting a con-artist, she willingly
agrees to go to another neighborhood, city, state, or country. Then
SURPRISE! She’s trapped and brainwashed into submission and sold as a
prostitute in a brothel,
where her self-esteem plummets, she becomes drug-addicted, is beaten often, and raped multiple
times daily. Read Man Sex Trafficked Eight Women to see why this is the worst form of slavery in the 21st century.
MORE INSIGHTS
► Worldwide paedophile ring busted in sting operation | Mark Willacy - ABC News - Australia | video 9m10s | 4:04 A government-employed caretaker of hundreds of children was also the leader of a global online paedophile ring that abused even babies as young as 18 months. | 7:59 Arrests in Australia, the U.S., Europe, and Asia. |
► Inside The Fight Against Online Child Sex Abuse | Ahmed Shihab-Eldin - VICE News | video 14m20s | 0:12 A mother sells pornography online of her own daughter (and others as young as age 5). | 1:42 Police raid. | 12:04 There are roughly 40,000 child-porn chat-rooms globally. |
► 'VIP paedophile ring' victim Richard Kerr speaks out | Channel 4 News - UK | video 13m18s | A victim from Northern Ireland was taken to London and abused by “very powerful people.” |
► Hidden America: Chilling New Look at Sex Trafficking in the US | Diane Sawyer - ABC News | video 11m45s | 2:13 Pimps hunt for runaway girls at bus and train stations. | 3:12 Nicholas Kristof’s lifelong mission is to find missing girls (read The Children of Pornhub). | 4:46 Underage girls are prostituted at truck stops. | 8:46 “It's easy to fall victim” to pimps. |
► TraffickingHub campaigns against the Canadian porn website, Pornhub, the world's largest. Pornhub enables and profits from the mass sex-trafficking and exploitation of women and children - globally. |
► Sex Trafficking Survivor Tells Her Harrowing Story | Megyn Kelly - Today Show - NBC | video 17m11s | Upset over a bad school grade, a 15-year-old girl ran away from home and was lured into prostitution. |
► Teens as Young as 13 Rescued From Super Bowl Sex Trafficking | BuzzNewsNow -12 ABC | Sixteen girls aged 13-17 were rescued from sex trafficking. Many prostitutes aren’t walking the streets anymore, but rather being sold by their pimps to local customers by advertising on the internet. They’re kept in this life by pimps using sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Tragically, the young victims themselves don't think they deserve help. “They don't think they’re worth saving.” |
► Woman Reveals How She Was Trafficked By Her Own Boyfriend At Age 18 | Megyn Kelly - Today Show - NBC | video 8m29s | Now an anti-trafficking advocate, she says “people need to know that human trafficking is not like the movie ‘Taken.’ It’s way more complex.” |
► Sex Trafficking Survivor - A Woman's True Story | Kirsty TV | video 9m4s | At age 16, Petra Hensley was kidnapped while waiting at a train station in the Czech Republic and taken into the vile underworld of human trafficking. | At age 27, she shared her desperate survival, her daring escape, and her successful healing. |
Right now as you’re reading this, millions of innocent victims are suffering – as they do day after day. What can you do to help even one of them escape? Open your eyes and help the police rescue them. Here’s how:
WARNING SIGNS of HUMAN TRAFFICKING
► MSP “Look Again” | video 2m34s | This fascinating Michigan State Police (MSP) video shows you how to really see. It'll help utility workers, landscapers, neighbors – anyone – spot possible human trafficking situations. |
► Can You See Me? Modern slavery and human trafficking - it's closer than you think. | Kent Police – UK | video 1m6s | See the subtle clues. |
► Take a Second Look | U.S. Department of Homeland Security | video 0m30s | The signs are everywhere, sometimes, you just have to take a second look. Human trafficking is modern day slavery and it happens in our own communities. Your second look could be their second chance. |
► PSA: Learn the signs of Human Trafficking by ZOE International | video 2m19s | 0:25 Signs of what human trafficking looks like. | 1:25 Kidnapped/brainwashed victims may think the police are their enemy. |
It may be too risky to intervene on behalf of already kidnapped/brainwashed victims (and their pimp might react violently). Instead, casually observe and quietly call the police. See A Way to Spot, Report, and Prevent Sex Trafficking (and not worry about a false alarm). Also see more contact info below.
More Human Trafficking Indicators
* Living with employer.
* Poor living conditions.
* Multiple people in cramped space.
* Inability to speak to individual alone.
* Answers seem scripted and rehearsed or have inconsistencies in their story.
* Employer is holding identity documents.
* Signs of physical abuse.
* Submissive or fearful.
* Unpaid or paid very little.
* Under 18 and in prostitution.
* Signs of psychological abuse
* Is the person being controlled?
* Is the person deprived of food, water, sleep, medical care or necessities?
* Is the person allowed to be in public alone?
* Can the person freely contact friends or family?
* Does a minor appear to be in a relationship with a much older person?
* Does the person fear his or her employer?
* Can the person leave their job situation if they want?
* Has someone threatened the person's family?
Recognize Warning Signs and Ways to Prevent Human Trafficking - Coercion of illegal trafficking is not always physically violent, but more commonly psychological.
Michigan's Attorney General says the top three venues in the U.S. for labor trafficking are domestic work, traveling sales crews, and restaurants/food service. The top three venues for sex trafficking include illicit massage/spa businesses, residence-based commercial sex, and hotel/motel-based commercial sex. See why victims rarely self-report and other surprising details at Think human trafficking happens somewhere else? Think again.
See Human-Trafficking - Common Red Flags For Health Care Workers (about halfway down the page).
See Human Trafficking - Kids Edition - Texas Attorney General | video 3m34s | 0:31 Lies and Truths | 1:39 Things To Look For | 2:28 Who Do You Tell? |
Who Do You Tell?
See the National Human Trafficking Hotline website, and/or call their U.S. 24-hour, toll-free, multilingual hotline at 888-3737-888. Also call your local and state police (and the Rescue Groups linked below) if you notice anything suspicious in your neighborhood, along highways, at truck stops, at bus, train, or boat stations, or anywhere. And keep a close watch on the kids of your family, friends, and neighbors who may fall prey – especially if they’re too-free Free-Range Kids
More RESCUE GROUPS
► In the U.S., contact The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Their 24-hour hotline is 800-THE-LOST (800-843-5678).
► Crime Stoppers USA (CSUSA) or call 800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477)
► Global Modern Slavery Directory (2,500+ organizations)
Personal Safety Devices & Resources
► GPS Child Locator: a child tracking device. Caution: to be used with the utmost parental discretion, supervision, and attention.
► Personal Security Alarm: (noisemaker or screamer). Caution: to be used with the utmost parental discretion, supervision, and attention.
► radKIDS.org in-person classes superbly cover child safety tips for self-defense (from bullies, molesters, kidnappers) as well as all-around child safety tips for ages 5-12 (for fires, getting lost, and much more).
► Child Molester's Signs of Abuse and Safeguarding Children from Molesters
► See the four main dangers of raising Free-Range Kids vs Safe-Range Kids: P.A.D.D. – predators, accidents, delinquency, and drugs.
► A children's Book warns children and parents about human trafficking dangers
FOR ADULTS
► Survival Options: How to Prevent Kidnapping
► Survival Options: Kidnapping Survival & Escape
WRAP UP
Now you have the only all-in-one guide to kidnapping prevention and rape escape for kids, teens, and adults - simple yet effective lifelong skills. And now you can also help the police rescue victims of human trafficking.
Please Contact Us if you have any child safety tips or suggestions for improving this page. Thank you.
Crime-Safety-Security > Child Safety Overview > Kidnapping Escape
