Santa Cruz, Monterey counties still hubs for human trafficking
SANTA CRUZ – Truck stops, roadside motels and rural highways. The ordinary spaces remind Deborah Pembrook of her childhood as a sex slave.
Those places, and other upscale sites, are hubs for California’s thriving human-trafficking industry today, Pembrook said during a presentation Saturday at Santa Cruz Police Department.
She showed map of the U.S. with the nation’s largest concentration of human trafficking in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast. Pembrook, who continues to fight the problem through the Coalition to End Human Trafficking in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties, is part of a movement teaching people how to identify the subtle signs of human trafficking.
Predators are targeting children all over America. They do this because it is lucrative and they think they can get away with it. Children are often too trusting, and even the most engaged parent may not realize what is happening until after tragedy strikes. Special Operations’ network of undercover private investigators gathers the evidence to help law enforcement rescue victims and arrest the criminals. After the rescue, we ensure survivors remain safe and begin the journey of restoration. We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes directly towards keeping kids safe. We cannot do this work without your support.
*Name has been changed to protect the victim’s identity.
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