Human trafficking seems to be a problem “over there”, but could it become a problem here, in Missouri?
State Rep. Jeff Grisamore (R-Lee’s Summit) says he first ran into the specter of human trafficking in his charitable work, discovering that it wasn’t just an international problem.
“It may not be as wide spread as overseas, but we definitely want to put together some containment strategies to make sure it doesn’t spread,” Grisamore says.
Human trafficking in Missouri often targets children and teen-agers, exploiting the young and ruining lives.
“We’ve seen cases of child sexual exploitation, that’s very clear; cases of illegal employment issues, forced employment which overseas we would call slavery, but here it’s under a little different guise,” according to Grisamore. “We’ve seen cases affecting children in their teens.”
A special committee is studying the issue, attempting to uncover how serious a problem it is in Missouri. It will forward its findings and recommendations to the Children’s Services Commission which reports to the governor.