Did you know, in the time it takes you to read these few words, ten more children have been sucked into the ugly world of human trafficking? Ten more children are lured off the street, snatched from shelters and stolen from families to serve as sex slaves or worse…in just five minutes! That’s almost 3000 every day, nearly 90,000 each month and an astounding ONE MILLION CHILDREN every year worldwide. Although many are trafficked from Central and South America and Eastern Europe, girls—and they are mostly girls—have been snatched from every state in the union.
But perhaps the greatest injustice is the fact that these horrendous crimes receive so little coverage in most media outlets. And the crazy conspiracy theory about some weird, leftish baby-smuggling ring only serves to divert attention to the very real trafficking networks. Of course, the arrest and suicide of Jeffrey Epstein and the conviction of his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, helped to shed some light on a small portion of this problem the past two years, but even for these high profile cases, the public’s attention is short-lived.
January is Human Trafficking Awareness month, designed to raise people’s awareness, so I thought I’d shed a little light as well. In the second entry of my Haunted Shores Mysteries series, CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY (2020), the mystery of a murdered bride is entwined with the much greater crime of human trafficking. It is the story of the heartbreak of two families, one whose daughter was murdered on her wedding night and a second, a teenager, who goes missing without a word, sucked into the ugly world of human trafficking.
I chose to set the novel in the quaint town of Cape May, with its remarkable collection of colorful Victorian architecture and a world famous beach.
The beauty and charm of this town created the perfect contrast for the world of human trafficking that operates not that far beyond the city limits. Cape May is located at the end of the Garden State Parkway which is connected to the New Jersey Turnpike and the Pennsylvania Turnpike and close to the I-95 corridor. And where our nation’s freight is moved is where the networks of human traffickers flourish.
I ’m thrilled to share CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY has done quite well, garnering three national awards and even achieving bestseller status this fall. I’m pleased not only because so many have enjoyed my words, but because readers of the novel have perhaps become a little more aware of the scourge of human trafficking and the real toll it can have on families.
This month would be an excellent opportunity to increase your own awareness of this issue and what you can do about it, even in your neck of the woods. Here is a link to a piece on human trafficking and what you can do to help stop this scourge. https://nationaltoday.com/national-human-trafficking-awareness-day/
If you haven’t had a chance to check out my award-winning ghost story/mystery, CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY—which also highlights the issue of human trafficking—here’s a link with details. https://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Cape-Haunted-Shores-Mysteries/dp/1509231633/ref=sr_
Whatever else you do this first month of the year, consider those less fortunate, say a prayer for the children caught in human trafficking and educate yourself. It will be time well spent.