Untrafficked Aims to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation

The leader of a national nonprofit that combats sex trafficking and exploitation told Columbia-Patuxent Rotarians at their recent breakfast meeting how that effort is succeeding.

Eric Colton, chairman of the board and founder of Untrafficked, said the organization’s aim is to put resources, people, time, talents and treasure into being able to protect children, to recover children that have been trafficked or have been groomed or extorted through social media, and then to totally restore them.

“We don't want to build a charity. We don't want to just raise money. We want to solve the problem. We're problem solvers,” he said. Eric noted that 82.7% of the time, grooming and trafficking happens by a familiar person. When an abduction takes place, immediate response is critical. But if law enforcement gets a call about a missing person – adult or child – they have to wait 48 hours before acting.

Untrafficked has built a critical response team and technology that gives it the ability to track predators and locate kids more quickly. The organization collaborates with law enforcement and major domestic airlines to ensure safe recovery of children, either returning them home or for placement in a network of vetted care facilities across the country. It also has the advantage of being able to work cases across a number of jurisdictions more readily than law enforcement.

Eric emphasized the importance of preventing grooming and trafficking through awareness and monitoring. He said smartphones, social media and online gaming are gateways to exploitation of children, the kind of gateway that predators try to use.

“Parents are unaware, and they allow their children to use their phones without supervision,” he explained. “I know this is hard to hear, but if you have little kids, or even teens, don't give them a phone. It's a portal.”

Eric highlighted the importance of collective action and the need for community involvement in protecting children. Untrafficked’s Guardian Alliance program aims to train and empower individuals to prevent trafficking and support survivors. Some of its steps include Monitoring your children’s online and social media activity, cell phone calls, texting, and chat activity; Identifying signs of change in the behavior of your children due to grooming ; and Initiating healthy talks with your children about school, parties, friends and strangers.

“We’ve got to protect America's children. We have to, and we can't do it alone,” Eric summed up. “Through the Guardian program, we can train you to protect your home, your neighborhood and your communities. It’s time to untraffick America. It's time to take a stand. We all need to lock arms and do it together, because our children matter.”

Columbia-Patuxent Rotary is the largest and most active of the seven Rotary clubs in Howard County. Meetings are held each Friday at 7:30 a.m. at JAM Eateries. Visitors are always welcome.