I think that most people are well aware of the fact that human trafficking is a serious issue. The problem is, many people feel as if it is something that takes place in another part of the world. In reality, it takes place in all corners of the world and that became evident, thanks to an investigation that took place into a single human trafficking incident involving a 13-year-old girl. Due to the investigation involving that victim, almost 200 people have been arrested in Florida. It contains people from all walks of life, including a PE teacher.
The arrests didn’t take place all at once. It was part of a two-year investigation that involved local, state, and federal officials. They uncovered the fact that the 13-year-old girl was being sold online and once they started pulling on that string, the entire thing began to unravel in front of them. Investigators who regularly look into these things were shocked and alarmed that something this devious was taking place. One investigator even mentioned that you can order a pizza and a girl online at the same time and the girl will show up at your door first. It is a problem that needs to be corrected, and this is a step in the right direction.
As is the case with many of these types of issues, the investigators are happy that they were able to arrest 178 people, but they still feel as if they are only scratching the surface of the problem. Although these arrests took place in Florida, it’s something that happens across the nation on a daily basis and around the world, it reaches levels that would shock anyone if they truly knew the depth of it.
Florida ranks number five in the United States for human trafficking. The numbers from 2019 show just how difficult the situation is. In that year, they discovered 1,887 victims, 427 traffickers, and 243 trafficking businesses. It seems as if we still have a long way to go, but at least that 13-year-old girl is now on the road to recovery and 178 people are behind bars. Watch more in the following video: