By Anna Moore
It’s not often talked about. Many don’t want to hear of it. Some are unaware it exists where they live. However you feel about it, human trafficking and child exploitation are realities in this day and age that exist in the very neighborhoods of West Virginia. The West Virginia Faith & Freedom Coalition is working to bring this darkness to light and raise awareness of the evil done to the most vulnerable, particularly children.
The coalition hosted its inaugural human trafficking summit—Protecting Our Children—in October at BridgeValley Community and Technical College in South Charleston, WV. The protection of innocent life is a core mission of the Christian faith-based organization, and this includes protection from trafficking.
“Trafficking of children is closer to home than most people realize. A common misconception is that the sex slave trade of children either only happens in the movies or in some remote, corrupt part of the world,” says Mark Ryan, member of the West Virginia Faith & Freedom Coalition board of directors. “The fact is the number of missing children’s cases, abductions and arrests are rising rapidly throughout the U.S. and even in places like West Virginia. Most incidents are still unaccounted for as they are operated from the shadows.”
Elizabeth Good, the founder of Foundation United and author of “Speak the Unspeakable,” was a keynote speaker at the summit. Through her foundation and Real Talk curriculum, she aims to combat the dangers of hidden trauma and secrets so that families, corporations and the international Christian church will be transformed.
“The average age of sexual abuse will be anywhere between 3 and 7,” she says. “The average age someone speaks about it is 53 years old, so if we don’t start normalizing the conversation and taking back the narrative, we’re really going to be in even greater trouble.”
Good says that with social media today, the images children are being exposed to are abusive.
“You don’t even need a person anymore to have a violation,” she says. “What we’re finding with research is that at 8 or 9 years old, neural pathways are changing in our children, so they are literally being systemically dismantled. They’re not able to have intimacy or relationship.”
Awareness of the dangerous abuse that generally goes undetected is the first step in taking action, says Curtis Workman, executive director of the West Virginia Faith & Freedom Coalition.
“Data has shown thousands of instances of sexual exploitation of minors could have been prevented if the American public was more aware of the problem, including the communities of faith,” he says. “As the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s newest state chapter, we want this summit to be the first of many human rights events to bring awareness and momentum to this issue and coordinate the organizations and coalitions already doing great work in this field.”
The summit gathered state government officials, law enforcement, military officials, educators and religious clergy in an effort to heighten awareness of the threat of trafficking and child exploitation and motivate all to take action within their own leadership arenas.
“Our goals are to effectuate strong legislative policies and increase criminal statutes consistent with the penalties for slave trade,” Ryan says. “Our hope is that every citizen takes notice that trafficking of children is happening here and takes a role in sharing information with their community to be alert and take action if necessary. We must unite the churches throughout West Virginia to take steps in eradicating this evil from the Mountain State.”
Chris Miller, founder of the West Virginia Faith & Freedom Coalition and owner of Dutch Miller Auto Group, which was a sponsor of the summit, agrees that raising awareness of the issue will help keep children safe.
“The most precious natural resource known to humanity is our children, and protecting their childhood from trauma and the evil of the world is what becomes the foundation for making the world a better place,” Miller says. “The traditional family unit is the greatest governing function known to mankind. Comparatively, the deterioration of the family unit, open borders and a political system that doesn’t punish the elites becomes the perfect petri dish for the viral spread of deviants who prey on our kids. We must make everyone aware that child sex trafficking is real evil and the most pressing social issue our country faces.”
On the global scale, the Angel Studios film “Sound of Freedom” tells the true story of a federal agent who saves a boy from traffickers and then makes it his mission to find and save the boy’s sister, who was also sold into a life of trafficking. The film had a theatrical release in July 2023 and grossed more than $175 million in two months after screenings of the independent film were added based on demand. A pay-it-forward campaign encouraged more to see it without the burden of purchasing a movie ticket.
“Awareness is our greatest resource in decreasing human trafficking in not only the Mountain State but across the globe,” Workman says. “There is no corner of the earth safe from trafficking, and events like our summit provide not only awareness but training for those attending to be able to bring awareness in their individual communities. Teachers, police officers, pastors and legislators are all frontline servants that can expand what people know about human trafficking, as well as what they can do about it. The movie ‘Sound of Freedom’ has broken box office records and shattered expectations, and we plan to use and keep the momentum that the film has created to make every person in our state aware of the cruel sins of human trafficking.”
During the 2023 regular legislative session, Delegate Brandon Steele of Raleigh County sponsored House Bill 2252, which would have increased penalties for trafficking. The bill was stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“This bill will be a priority for our organization in 2024,” Workman says. “Efforts to eliminate West Virginia’s opioid epidemic directly influence the reduction of human trafficking as well. Multiple studies show that women struggling with drug addiction are more likely to enter into sex work and as a result increase their chances of falling victim to the trafficking industry.”
As cartels, smugglers and global crime syndicates have realized that trafficking women and children is more profitable than smuggling weapons, drugs and stolen property, the modern-day slave trade allows the captors to sell children
for sex over and over to pedophiles within the same day, Ryan says, making human trafficking the fastest growing industry in the world.
“Unlawful internet sites, the dark web and explosion of child pornography has lured monsters in our country to seek and exploit the innocent,” Ryan says. “It’s up to every one of us to do our part now.”
