The holiday season presents a prime opportunity for sex traffickers to blend in, officials warn.
Because places like shopping malls and airports are exceptionally crowded this time of year, it’s often easier for people to get away with crimes like sex trafficking, says Staca Shehan, vice president of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s (NCMEC’s) Analytical Services Division.
Shehan told Fox News Digital that it isn’t a matter of sex trafficking increasing during the holidays. Rather, it’s more that “people may be distracted, preoccupied” or “very focused on the fact that the holidays should be a happy time,” which can lead to them overlooking red flags.
“Child sex trafficking happens 365 days a year in small towns, big cities across the country, and that definitely includes the holidays,” Shehan said. “Trafficking victims don’t get days off or have holiday leave like many of us.”
Additionally, it might be easier for sex traffickers to spot and target victims during the holidays, retired New York Police Department (NYPD) Sgt. Paul Grattan Jr. told Fox News Digital.
“Vulnerable individuals are prime targets for traffickers, especially when they have leverage to coerce potential victims,” Grattan said. “The holidays can be a tough time of year for many who are separated from family or have otherwise been ostracized by loved ones due to personal struggles with drugs, alcohol, or crime.”
“Likewise, the increase in travel presents opportunities for traffickers to move individuals or find potential victims traveling alone or trying to find the means to travel or house themselves,” he added.
And as Shehan told Fox News Digital, “We know that traffickers take advantage of any type of opportunity.”
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The post Holiday Travel ‘Presents Opportunities’ for Sex Trafficking, Experts Warn appeared first on VICE.
