Want to Save the Children? Listen to the Experts, Who Say the Truth Matters

Somehow, I had missed the statement put out prior to the elections by almost every organization out there doing the real work of battling human trafficking. They minced no words, and I wanted to share them here, so that readers all know where I stand as well.

Taken from the Freedom Needs Truth statement:

It is with this collective and collaborative history in mind that we say we are alarmed and deeply disturbed by the intentional spread of conspiracy theories and disinformation about sex trafficking aiming to sow fear and division in order to influence the upcoming election. Anybody — political committee, public office holder, candidate, or media outlet — who lends any credibility to QAnon conspiracies related to human trafficking actively harms the fight against human trafficking. Indeed, any political committee, candidate, public office holder or media that does not expressly condemn QAnon and actively debunk the lies should be held accountable.

As they go on to state, the reality of who gets trafficked, and how, gets lost in all the conspiracy theory noise. Instead of addressing poverty and the unstable home lives of children who are actually targeted most often by traffickers, who are likely people they already know, we scare people into thinking their kids will be abducted by anyone who happens to look at them in Target. Instead of electing politicians who would address the underlying issues that leave children and women vulnerable to sex trafficking, we elect people who promise to fight off the boogie man that they’ve convinced us is the real threat. Instead of addressing the 10’s of millions of people who are trafficked as human labor and not for sex, they inflate the numbers to bolster their own agenda and belief system.

None of that does any good for the people who have really been harmed, and it does nothing to actually assist the groups working to address the real-world issues.

If you truly want to help protect children from harm, the best thing you could do is provide a safe, stable, and accepting space for the children around you, and fight to lessen poverty, racism, and injustice that creates vulnerable children. That’s what makes children less likely to be abused, or trafficked, not social media hashtags or fake stores about millions of children in tunnels.

But don’t just take my word for it, take a look at what the experts in the field have to say about it.