Anti-trafficking advocates say more and more children are being trafficked by their family members and caregivers.

Last week, the Leon County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of 13 men for child sex crimes. The arrests prompted an advocate for trafficking victims to speak out.

It was a sting operation with undercover agents posing as minors. A man was traveling to meet someone he thought was the mother of an 11-year-old girl. He planned to pay the mother so he could have sex with her daughter.

Robin Hassler Thompson is executive director of the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center, which helps victims of sex trafficking and forced labor. She says this case is consistent with what she sees as an increase in the number of people being trafficked by a family member or caregiver.

“I think that’s also the case because the trafficking has been hidden for so long,” she said. “We're working more on this. More and more things that have always been there are showing up, but they're just more visible instead of being hidden.

She suspects the economic upheaval caused by the Covid-19 pandemic could play a role.

“I think the increase in substance use and abuse is creating desperate situations for many people,” she said. “That’s why there are these stories of parents giving their children to pimp-traffickers to help them maintain their drug habits.”

In 2017, the U.S. Department of State estimated that 41% of child trafficking cases are facilitated by family members and/or guardians.

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Wednesday June 12, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

The Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center, in collaboration with the Wakulla Department of Health and the Wakulla County Youth Coalition, is hosting a community meeting to discuss human trafficking.

Wakulla County residents are encouraged to attend the meeting, which will be held Wednesday, June 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the TCC Wakulla Center, 2932 Crawfordville Highway. Local experts will discuss how to detect human trafficking, according to a press release.

“Human trafficking is not a problem that only occurs in big cities,” Hassler Thompson said. “It is also a daily reality in our rural areas. Fewer services and support systems are available for victims, and traffickers may be familiar faces.