It's Happening Here!
Although human trafficking looks far different in rural communities than it does in big cities like Las Vegas, we cannot pretend like our small community is immune. The story posted here could of had a far different outcome if not for well trained School Faculty, School Resource Officers, and Law Enforcement. Because of their quick action this predator and those like him got the message. #NotInOurTown We need to keep talking about it and making sure our teens understand the dangers lurking online. |
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White Vans
Truth is, of all the children our Shepherds Team has located, not one of them has come from a white van. EVERY child Forward has been a part of locating has been lured out of their home either by an unknown online predator, someone pretending to be their friend, or their own family members. Instead of keeping an eye out in the neighborhood for the white van of a predator, parents need to understand that if their child is alone in a room with a gaming system, computer, or cell phone, there could be NUMEROUS proverbial white vans luring their child out of their home and into danger.
In our experience, once they are lured out, in only a matter of days, not weeks, that child will be too afraid to try and return home or even reach out to their family.
Predators, sadly, are good at what they do. We have to do even better. Have conversations often with your child and make a plan to be proactive in keeping them safe.
We recently launched a campaign to raise awareness on this statistic. The "van" being used today does not have 4 wheels. The vehicle is the internet.