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ROCKFORD (WREX) — It’s a crime that happens online and behind closed doors. According to experts, human trafficking is expanding during COVID-19.
“In this environment where there’s more isolation and in fact business to online pornography sites have increased tremendously,” says Jennifer Cacciapaglia. “Anywhere from 40 to 70% depending on the site.”
Kenosha County, WI — Chrystul Kizer is out of custody after a Chicago-based aid organization posted her $400,000 bond. Kizer, 19, was released from Kenosha County Jail on Monday afternoon. She has been in custody for two years, awaiting trial for the June 2018 shooting death of a man prosecutors admit had been sexually assaulting Kizer and other underage girls.
A 30- year-old man from Decatur, Illinois has been indicted on child exploitation charges. The man is accused of enticement of a minor, attempted sexual exploitation of children and sex trafficking of children. He was attempting to traffic a child under the age of 14. He used the internet and a cellphone to entice the minor to engage in sexual activity. The authorities say he acted like he was a 17-year old male while he was in contact with the minor.
Three men in Bloomington, Illinois have been charged with sex trafficking and child pornography. These men are from the ages of 20-24. The investigation began in June and the Bloomington Police Department worked with the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The presentation will provide a basic understanding of human trafficking and how to identify a trafficking victim. The presenter, FBI Agent Carrie Landau, will discuss the psychology behind human trafficking, how traffickers gain and maintain their control and trends in recruiting.
The program is called “My Life My Choice” and is based out of Boston, MA. Rockford Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, located in IL, prevention program includes connecting young girls and women with survivors to help them better understand what do to if they are confronted with a sex trafficking situation.
The Center for Prevention of Abuse announced in a Monday news release that the organization will expand its human trafficking prevention education curriculum in area IL high schools.
Undercover sheriff’s detectives communicated with 33-year-old Sheila Johnston, who then took a juvenile to a hotel in Waukegan, IL. where she met with an undercover detective posting as a customer. During the meeting, Johnston offered both herself and the juvenile for sexual acts for money, police said.
Rita Law of Chicago, IL sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday in a long-running sex trafficking case. Law ran two spas, Duneland Spa in Gary and Fun Fun Feet in Hobart, where she brought women from Asia to the spas and work as prostitutes, according to court documents.
& Shapiro, D.L. 2002), sex trafficking is the second most lucrative criminal enterprise in the United States.
The average age of entry into the life of trafficking is 12-14 years of age, and recruitment of these young girls and boys often happens through social media and online grooming tactics.
Finding new and innovative ways to combat the demand for purchased sex, raise awareness to this nationwide epidemic, and provide safe environments for victims.