A mother talks about the dread she felt while hoping to hear that her missing daughter was alive. In another account, a mother shares her disgust at seeing nude pictures of her underage daughter on the Internet and pleading with those who published it to take it down. I am Jane Doe (2017) is a documentary that exposes how rampant sex trade crimes are in the United States. It also brings to light that many people in power are aware of it but look the other way because they have a hand in this lucrative “business.” In I am Jane Doe, parents, attorneys and other advocates fight a financially thriving web-based company to try to stop print and online advertising of underaged children for prostitution.

There is an elaborate worldwide system in which people have one goal – to move children and young people around like cargo in order to sell them into prostitution. Children are kidnapped and become yet another name on a missing persons list. Once they are taken and transported far from everything they know, they’re threatened to keep their mouths shut, or else. And yes, this problem is happening in developed countries as well, all the time, which is why it’s important for us to stay informed.

In the book, The White Umbrella: Walking with Survivors of Sex Trafficking, Mary Frances Bowley informs readers about the lives of young people who have been trafficked and ways they can be supported. She has also created The White Umbrella Campaign to support those who have been trafficked throughout the United States.

Although it’s an intricate operation happening under high secrecy, sex trafficking is happening all around us. A survivor of sex trafficking could be anyone around us, quietly seeking help, reaching out in ways we may not understand right away. The more we know, the more we can help.