Human trafficking, abduction and sexual slavery. Before you say "that could never happen in my hometown," listen to what some leading experts have to say at a special conference on preventing abuse. Human trafficking and abduction are bigger problems than most people even know. This conference's purpose is to open the eyes of eastern Iowans.
"The problem we're dealing with and we're giving education on ways to protect ourselves touches the lives of American people," says Preventing Abuse Organizer Tony Nassif.
Noreen Gosch is the mother of kidnap victim Johnny Gosch. "Johnny was bought by this man and took him into the prostitution network," says Noreen Gosch. Gosch is just one of the many trafficking victims.
Lots of people are teaming up to try and find human trafficking victims. "Human trafficking is the second largest money maker in the world next to illegal drugs," says Nassif.
"People need to be aware of it because we need citizen involvement in order to identify these victims," says Trafficking Senior Adviser Dr. Laura Lederer.
There are some warning signs you can look for. If the person is not allowed to leave their job, or come and go as they please. Also the person may seem fearful. Or have difficulty communicating because they can't speak English and are from a different country.
Noreen Gosch says that since September she's received a package every week in the mail. It's contained lots of photos of her son and other abducted kids. She is continuing to search for the truth in what happened to her son. The Preventing Abuse Conference is traveling throughout the United States.
