An anti-trafficking advocate says it’s a myth that sex traffickers use toddlers as bait to lure women on roadways.
“As far as we are aware, this is not a tactic that traffickers use,” said Sabrina Thulander, communications director for Polaris, the nonprofit that runs the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
According to Insider, Thulander said it’s a common myth that traffickers kidnap women off the streets and force them into the sex trade. Most sex workers (prostitutes and escorts) are willing participants.
“These kind of rumors spread on social media quite a lot,” Thulander said.
Only about 6 percent of the human trafficking victims who’ve called the hotline since 2007 said they were victims of abduction, Thulander said.
She said traffickers don’t kidnap women by force because it attracts too much attention.
Furthermore, an abducted victim will keep trying to escape, she said.
Sex traffickers prefer to build relationships with young women over time — rather than force them with threats of violence.
“Far more common ways that traffickers use to recruit is that it’s a family member,” she said. “You have a lifelong tie to them, and they will exploit that.”
She said they exploit runaway teens and members of the LGBTQ community. They also recruit young women on social media.
Carlee Russell, 25, went missing after she called 911 to say she saw a toddler wandering along Interstate 459 on July 13 in Hoover, Alabama.
Police arrived within minutes, but Russell and the child were nowhere to be found. Russell’s disappearance sparked a massive search involving 50-60 police officers and citizen volunteers.
The Hoover Police Department issued a statement saying it “expended every available resource into locating” Russell.
The mystery deepened when Russell returned home on Saturday night and knocked on her front door.
Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis claims she “walked home” from wherever she had been for 48 hours.
Derzis dismissed demands for answers from the media and the public. He said investigators will wait for the right time to interview Russell.
Adding to the public’s frustration is the fact that police are not searching for a suspect or an endangered child.
More Overwhelming Proof That Carlee Russell is a Liar. Her Kidnapping Is a Hoax pic.twitter.com/VDQ28xfthU
— Poetik Flakko (@FlakkoPoetik) July 17, 2023
