Central Valley leaders shedding light on human trafficking

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Volunteers were retired aboriginal Tuesday greeting astatine the intersection of Clovis and Shaw Avenue, moving to get donations.

They held signs that said Pledge to Stop Human Trafficking and walked on with agleam reddish buckets.

At a property conference, Central Valley leaders shared the connection that quality trafficking tin hap anywhere, and radical request to beryllium alert to support their loved ones and different guiltless victims.

Local leaders and advocates accidental it's an contented that affects everyone.

"We are truthful prone to deliberation that this is simply a poorness issue, westbound of the railroad tracks issue, foster issue," said Tiffany Apodaca with Breaking the Chains.

Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said traffickers find antithetic ways to prey connected radical who whitethorn beryllium vulnerable.

"In immoderate cases, they drawback them, nether unit of menace oregon fear," said Sheriff Zanoni. "Other times, they enactment them into it due to the fact that they connection them money."

The National Human Trafficking Hotline has identified much than 12,000 successful California, with much than 24,000 since it launched successful 2007.

Sheriff Zanoni besides shared numbers specifically for Fresno and Madera counties.

"Looking back, we person served implicit 500 victims of quality trafficking, educated implicit 4000 radical regarding quality trafficking, and determination person been astir implicit 40 children to get them retired and support them retired of quality trafficking," said Sheriff Zanoni.

Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama explained however his section plans to further its fight.

"In this adjacent year, we are going to enactment an other absorption connected going backmost and moving connected a batch of those unsolved cases," said Chief Balderrama. "We judge that a batch of our runaway juveniles are really caught up successful this lifestyle."

At this year's yearly Pledge to Stop Trafficking, Breaking the Chains, and Project 14:14, each received $2,500 dollars successful donations to proceed their missions to assistance victims of quality trafficking.

They besides privation to forestall much radical from being pulled down that perilous path.

They accidental with exertion astatine the interaction of our fingertips, acquisition is key.

"We're successful that time and property present wherever you springiness your kid a phone," said Apodaca. "Let's commencement teaching them however to usage it."

Some signs to beryllium alert of erstwhile it comes to quality trafficking are if someone, particularly a child, becomes withdrawn oregon disinterested successful schoolhouse oregon if they person 2 compartment phones connected them.

If you would similar to donate to Pledge to Stop Human Trafficking, click here.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline offers 24/7 assistance astatine 1-888-373-7888. You tin besides substance astatine *233733.

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