The Salvation Army is holding a meeting Wednesday in Fort Myers, to teach kids how to avoid human trafficking. It’s a form of modern-day slavery. A trafficker usually forces another person into labor or sexual acts.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center says Florida has the third highest number of reported trafficking cases in the nation. And Wednesday’s session will focus on dangers of the internet.
Dotti Groover-Skipper is the Salvation Army’s state anti-human trafficking coordinator. She said social media has changed how traffickers operate.
"Just posting in real time where you are sends a message to someone who might want to do harm to them exactly where they are," said Skipper. "And if they know their name, if they have a picture of them, they know right who to target when they see that person."
Skipper said about 50 middle and high school kids will attend the event. She said a survivor will be there to talk about the ways she fell prey to an online predator. Skipper hopes her experiences will help kids avoid similar traps.
