Dear John,

At this unprecedented moment, the world feels like a far more dangerous place for our children than ever before. So when our social media feeds begin to fill up with misinformation about complex and secretive child sex trafficking rings, even the most implausible scenarios feel a little more believable than they might have just a few months ago.

That may well account for the recent surge of reports to the U.S. National Human Trafficking referencing online posts related to claims involving online furniture retailer Wayfair, random text messages about packages to pick up, and accusations of child sex trafficking schemes helmed by major political and entertainment figures.

Unfortunately, these well meaning reports - all of which are taken extremely seriously - may actually be harming the very people they are intended to help. The Trafficking Hotline is overwhelmed with duplicative, unverifiable reports while victims and survivors are on hold, perhaps losing precious windows of opportunity to seek help before their traffickers come back. Just as importantly, the efforts of people who might otherwise be real partners in protecting children are being misdirected at looking for kidnappers and the like, rather than working to change the conditions that allow sex trafficking to thrive.

You can help. As a member of the Polaris community we are counting on you to educate others about how child sex trafficking really happens.

The single most important thing to know, and to share, is that the vast majority of child sex traffickers know their victims and have gained their trust. Learn more and look for additional information in the months ahead about keeping children safe from child sex trafficking.

Your voice and your knowledge can make all the difference.

In Solidarity,

Caren Benjamin
Chief Communications Officer