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Child Prostitution * USA - Why Truckers Are First Line Defenders Against
There is one group of Americans who are perhaps more powerful than any other to stop children from being sold into prostitution: America's truckers
San Francisco,CAL,USA -End Human Trafficking, by Amanda Kloer -March 28, 2010: ... America's truckers are, in many ways, the first line of defense against child prostitution and child trafficking. And there are more and more groups and resources empowering truckers to use their unique power to save kids' lives... There are a number of reasons why truckers are in a special position of power to fight human trafficking. First, a lot of child trafficking goes on at truck stops. Among some truckers, the girls and women sold at truck stops are called "lot lizards," a derogatory term indicating that the girls are pests. There have been several cases where truck stops were one of the primary locations traffickers sold teen girls. Truck drivers are in an ideal position to observe the prostitution and trafficking that takes place at truck stops and report the presence of minors and adult women who look frightened or like they aren't in control of the situation... Another reason truckers are important in the fight against child sex trafficking is that pimps and traffickers use the interstate system to move children from place to place more often than other forms of transportation. As frequent travelers, truckers have the opportunity to observe and report suspicious behavior. Also, the vast majority of truckers are men. Many truckers understand how macho, male-dominated culture that can sometimes support the exploitation of girls and women exists within the industry... In an effort to help truckers who want to end trafficking within the industry better identify and report human trafficking, the NGO Truckers Against Trafficking is putting on three free educational webinars for truck drivers, truck stop workers, and other people who are involved with the trucking industry. The goal of these programs is to educate people in the trucking industry about human trafficking and how to identify it, in the hopes that more truckers will report trafficking taking place at truck stops... For a close-up look at child trafficking at one truck stop just outside of Portland, check out the video above... (Video from YouTube, by themarkusaurelius — 24 Feb 2009 — The Defenders USA's Mark Pomerville and a former truck driver to discuss how sex trafficking of minors is a growing problem in the Portland/Vancouver area as well as the rest of the United States... This interview includes undercover footage that was filmed by Defenders USA operatives at a local truck stop. These clips reveal how truckers purchase "Lot Lizards"- a demeaning term used to describe prostituted girls... You can learn more about THE DEFENDERS USA and its efforts to stop minor sex trafficking at www.thedefendersusa.org)
Labels: Selling Sex
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