There is much talk these days about human trafficking. After watching documentaries, reading an online story or maybe looking at a news release one almost has the sense that it is all encompassing, and taking place on nearly every street corner. There are stories about kidnappings, scary notes on windows, immigrants being enslaved, massage parlors down the street, and even organs being removed from Southern California children to be sold in foreign lands. How on earth can anyone sort truth from fiction?

FIRST, THE TRUTH. Human Trafficking is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. and California is the number one state for cases. Surprisingly, more than half of the cases that happen in Southern California involve U.S. citizens and, all too often, our young people. To be fair, we must also acknowledge that there are many cases where individuals from outside the U.S. come to the U.S and end up exploited through sex and labor trafficking.