This Holiday Season, Sex-Traffickers Target Teenage Girls, Here’s What You Can Do To Stop Them

The mall during the holiday season is every teenage girls dream come true, especially once school lets out for Christmas break.

The stores are full of people, the lights are bright, and the sales are massive. The mall is the place to be seen and a favorite hangout of young high schoolers.

But predators are out this Christmas season, and they have their eyes set on swooping up teenage girls, and it’s worse than you think.

Sadly, many sick individuals make a living off trafficking young girls.

Somehow, these individuals have been able to depersonalize young girls and sell them for a profit.

And while you think it could never happen to your teenage daughter, think again.

As smart as your young daughter might be, these men are adults, and they do this for a living.

They scope the mall, watching and waiting for an opportune time.

And remember, predators don’t always look like the stereotypical old guy with ripped clothes and a long beard.

Often times, traffickers work in groups, and even partner with other women as to appear safe and give off credibility.

They attempt to play to vulnerable teens with low self-esteem, promising modeling jobs, or other jobs which provide validation.

And sadly, this technique works more often than one would think.

WKRN reported:

“News 2 spoke with Stacia Freeman, the CEO and founder of Epic Girl, which works to empower at-risk teen girls through education, mentorship and counseling.

Freeman says she educates her girls on what look out for when a man, woman, or couple approaches.

She says predators use shopping malls and other places where young, teenage girls may not have adult supervision in order to find their victims.

“The girls we work with say the number one place where people approach them is the mall,” Freeman told News 2.

“Their best strategy is to build a relationship so obviously they’ll show up in places where kids are likely to be and they might be unsupervised.”

 Freeman says predators will also pretend to be music video producers or photographers.

 “We had a girl that came to our class who said she was approached by a man and a woman in a mall setting that said they were trying to find extras for a music video,” Freeman told us. “We’re in Music City so that’s possible.

 But she and her older cousin went and it was just an abandoned building.”

 So moms (and dads), please be sure to warn your daughters, not only this holidays season but all year round to not fall prey to such schemes.

Teach them their value, show them they are loved and wanted, so they don’t seek out this validation from a dangerous stranger.

And as you shop this season, be on the lookout yourself.

You might see someone suspicious lurking, or a couple approach a young girl who appears uncomfortable.

Be aware, and you might just save a young girl’s life

Have you ever witnessed a suspicious stranger at the mall?

Would you intervene if you saw something take place which appeared out of the ordinary?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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