Walk sheds light on seedy Tallahassee trade
October 5, 2009
Approximately 2.5 million children, mostly female, are sold or abused in the multibillion dollar sex industry. Leon County is second in the state of Florida for child trafficking. This means children are brought to Tallahassee and the surrounding area as domestic or sex slaves, or brought through Tallahassee to be traded to other areas. Each year, between 14,500 and 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States, and about 200,000 American children are at risk for trafficking according to Stop Child Trafficking Now, an organization that held a march in Tallahassee this past Sunday, Sept. 27.
“There’s a huge number of people, especially women and children, caught up in the sex trade…it’s easy for people to get overwhelmed by the enormity of it all and think they can’t help,” said Susan Reed, a Tallahassee leader of the SCTN organization.
The walk from Westcott Fountain on Florida State University’s campus to the Capitol began at 4:10 p.m. after a welcoming address, discussion of SCTN’s vision, a speech from Leyla McLemore with the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking and a few words from Dena Karlin. About 200 people attended the walk, raising almost $3,000. This money goes toward hiring Navy Seals and Special Operatives groups to collect evidence against those leading or involved in child trafficking.
Walkers brought their friends, children and dogs to the walk, many of them sporting hand-decorated shirts, some with statistics on child trafficking — one child is sold into the sex trade every 15 seconds — and others with optimistic lines from Psalms in the Bible written in puffy fabric paint.
Walkers formed teams, representing organizations on campus or in the community, or walked as individuals.
Noel Sanchez, an FSU sophomore, walked with the Multicultural Association of Pre-medical Students. Sanchez first heard about the issue from an MSNBC special and was inspired to walk largely because of her part-time job and future career plans.
“Since I work in a nursery with little kids, like two years old and under, and I want to be an OB-GYN or neonatologist, I felt I had to come,” said Sanchez.. “People don’t think about this happening in America. America is such a golden country, but it’s right here in our backyard.”
Sanchez said she hoped the walk would draw attention to the issue and raise awareness in the community and on campus.
“With a large group of students walking up and down the street, people have to look and ask us what we’re about,” Sanchez said. “(We’re) put into action to end child trafficking.”
Another walker, Tiffany McDonald, walked with her church athletics group, 925 Athletics. Like Sanchez, she said she was stunned by the close proximity of child trafficking.
“(Most have) no idea child trafficking is so big in the United States, let alone so big in Florida,” McDonald said. “This is something where the money goes to actually stopping (the issue) with Navy Seals and Marines. You know where the money goes.”
It is this sense of action that inspires and encourages Amber Childress, the SCTN Tallahassee campus ambassador and senior at FSU, who works with Reed to plan events to advocate for the end of child trafficking.
“I think the most important thing is that once people become aware, their duty is to make others aware,” Childress said.
Childress was alarmed by the nature of the trade. A sexual trafficking predator can earn over $200,000 a year from a young girl in the sex trade, according to SCTN. This large sum draws men and women from underprivileged areas to do what they otherwise would not: sell and traffic their own children and the children of others. These children, usually young girls, can be loaned out, sold to other states or countries, and sexually violated dozens of times each day. Victims of child trafficking have no control, no consent and no power.
“I just came to realize that it’s the real deal — there are kids out there, young, innocent little girls,” Childress said. “I think back to my very different childhood (…) and the things that men do to these girls are just disgusting.”
In the future, Reed and Childress said they hope to give power to child trafficking victims and punish sexual predators. Reed’s goal is to get more involved on a national scale and increase community involvement.
“I would like to see more and more people get involved. I would like to see all different kinds of organizations in the community: churches, civil groups, hospitals and schools,” Reed said. “I’d love to have an office and full-time staff. I’d love to see it grow.”
Reed said she is overwhelmed by the success of Sunday’s walk, and wants to thank everyone who attended.
“What a great first year,” Reed said. “What a great first walk. Hopefully this is just the beginning.”
