The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says when children run away, within 48 hours, one in three will be approached by a sex trafficker. When children are on the run, they have a lot of vulnerabilities as they seek food and shelter. The longer they run, the more likely they are to become involved with a sex trafficker or predator.
In part two of our series on human sex trafficking, Gretchen Smeltzer, director of Into the Light, says one in six children reported missing to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children was likely a victim. In addition, Smeltzer says 86 percent of these likely victims were in the care of social services for foster care.
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Into the Light was formed in 2014 after research by a group of local individuals pointed to a need for support for those who have been exploited, as well as a need for awareness and education.
Smeltzer says those involved in trafficking look for vulnerabilities in these children.
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To those who ask does sexual exploitation happen in North Central Arkansas, Smeltzer says while not to the level of a large city like Dallas, it does occur here.
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Smeltzer says there is a growing understanding of the issue locally.
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Smeltzer says the group takes its prevention program into juvenile detention centers in four locations in Arkansas to educate the children there of the signs of predators.
She says those in the Into the Light group know they are making an impact by the feedback they receive daily. Those comments range from those who say “thank you” to those who say, “I didn’t know anybody cared or understood.”
For more information on the services of Into the Light, visit their website at .
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