Wednesday November 17th, 2010 - 10:00 am

Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office

313 NE 21st St., OKC, OK

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma- Nov. 17th, 2010 -  10:00 am - Oklahoma resident will receive award from FBI special agents at the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office this Wednesday morning in recognition of outstanding humanitarian service to his community through efforts in creating the Oklahoma Coalition to fight human trafficking and bring awareness to professionals thoughout the state concerning this crime.

Populations of foster children also often overlap with populations of runaway and homeless youth, who because of their lack of resources are vulnerable to street pimps. And in many parts of the country, the foster care system is so broken that kids can slip through the cracks without ever being noticed. When a child with no family, no support, and no place to sleep is offered all those things by a pimp, it often sounds like a dream come true.

One phone call from one trucker... 9 lives saved... 31 offenders convicted... 13 state trafficking ring shut down... all from one call. One person, One call.

One truck driver who noticed two young girls working at a truck stop made the 911 call to police. The 14 and 15 year old Ohio girls were in fact kidnap victims of human trafficking. These two girls were saved and returned to their families... then police found 7 other minor children being prostituted by the traffickers and in all 31 offenders were convicted in the 13 state prostitution ring. One person can make a difference!

Truckers Against Trafficking was started right here in Tulsa Oklahoma by one of our partner organizations: Chapter 61 Ministries. Please watch their video about the growing problem below...

The Trafficking In Persons 2010 Report was released June 14 by the US Department of State and for the first time in the 10 years history of reporting the United States has listed itself among the countries being monitored for this crime of modern day slavery.

• The United States is listed as a source, transit and destination country for men, women, and children.
• More US citizens, both adult and children are found in sex trafficking than in labor trafficking.
• US citizen child victims of sex trafficking are often runaway and homeless youth.
• More Foreign National victims are found in labor trafficking than sex trafficking.

Prostitution. Pornography. Survival sex. Commercial sexual exploitation is more than just young people being sexually abused by adults. Perpetrators victimize young people by paying, or promising to pay, money, goods or services to a youth-or a pimp-in exchange for sexual acts or entertainment.

The impact of commercial sexual exploitation on young victims is often devastating. Instead of attending school, they face violence, disease and jail. Before they are even old enough to vote, they lose their dignity and their freedom. They suffer emotional trauma that may never go away.

Helping young people escape from exploitation should be a top priority of communities and youth workers everywhere.

What are the real numbers?... How can you identify them?... Read more

OKLAHOMA CITY - OKC PD arrest two people for allegedly trying to use their children for prostitution at truck stop! A truck driver called the police after he said a 16 yr old girl knocked on his window and asked if he wanted company.

Officers stopped an SUV in the parking lot of the Petro Truck Stop at 20 Martin Luther King Ave. and found the pair with six children ranging from 9 to 17 yrs old.