At the writing of this post the latest video that Stephanie Harlowe has uploaded is titled: Coffee and Crime Time: The Truth About Human Trafficking. Here is the link. https://youtu.be/p08WnmnmXM4 Stop right here and watch the video now and come back to me! Don’t worry! I’ll wait…
… Ok now that you’re back, let’s talk! This is serious a huge fear of mine! I am very anxious in general, and this doesn’t make things easier. I constantly stress about myself and my children when we are in public. If I don’t have my eyes on my kids at all time I just seriously lose it! No matter how short of a span that I don’t have my eyes on them. Yes, I know it’s obsessive. No, I don’t care.
I have discussed this topic with my husband before and was genuinely surprised that he as a man was not taught safe defense techniques like: parking next to the lamp post in a parking lot, keep your head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings, and to be cautious about what you advertise on your car. I really don’t want to be conspicuous when out in public. (Said the girl with neon orange hair. Go ahead and insert your own eye roll here.) He was equally surprised that this was a normal thing that girls and women are told.
In regards to Stephanie’s video, I was not aware of the technique of grooming victims for trafficking. In my mind it was 100% creeps hiding in the shadows waiting to jump out and grab you. So to find out that this is not the case is actually eye opening. Also I’m a little ashamed for being so naive about this. As someone so interested in true crime, I feel like I should have realized this before now.
It also opened my eyes that the online grooming of children, teens, and even adult women into sex work, is a reality. I don’t know why I never thought about this before. I guess in my mind that whole topic looked like creepy chat rooms like I’ve seen on TV. And to learn that it can happen over Facebook via messenger, or Snapchat, or any other social media DMs. This was shocking to me. And to see the victims of these situations tell their stories about how this happens, is truly heart breaking. I don’t know how anyone can survive this, and then have the strength to tell what happened them. It’s such incredible strength. I also appreciate their strength and the fact that they are willing to help others get out, and help others not potentially get trafficked themselves.
Thank you for taking the time to not only reading this post. I know it’s a sensitive subject, but we (as women, mothers, sisters, children, HUMANS) have to be aware that these things happen in the world. This doesn’t always look like a creepy dude hiding in the shadows waiting to jump out and kidnap you; although sometimes it does. It also looks like a new “friend” trying to help you through a tough time, a “boyfriend” that wants you to move with him far away from your support system, an acquaintance with a unspecified job opportunity to “help you out.” I also want to thank Stephanie for opening my eyes, and broaching this tough subject. I needed to be informed of how things like human trafficking looks like in reality. I think we all need to know this!
Stay safe, stay rad, and wash your DANG hands!
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