Child victims of trafficking are recruited, transported, transferred, harbored or received for the purpose of exploitation. They may be forced to work in sweatshops, on construction sites or in houses as domestic servants; on the streets as child beggars, in wars as child soldiers, on farms, in traveling sales crews or in restaurants and hotels. Some are forced to work in brothels and strip clubs or for escort and massage services.

After first learning about human trafficking, many people want to help in some way but do not know how. Here are just a few ideas for your consideration.

1. Learn the red flags that may indicate human trafficking and ask follow up questions so that you can help identify a potential trafficking victim. Human trafficking awareness training is available for individuals,businesses, first responders, law enforcement, and federal employees.

2. In the United States, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888 (24/7) to get help and connect with a service provider in your area, report a tip with information on potential human trafficking activity; or learn more by requesting training, technical assistance, or resources. Call federal law enforcement directly to report suspicious activity and get help from the Department of Homeland Security at 1-866-347-2423 (24/7), or submit a tip online at www.ice.gov/tips, or from the U.S. Department of Justice at 1-888-428-7581 from 9:00am to 5:00pm (EST). Victims, including undocumented individuals, are eligible for services and immigration assistance. READ MORE HERE

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ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Missouri –  On Friday, a St. Charles County woman pleaded guilty to second degree murder and child abuse charges in the death of her 4-month-old daughter. Twenty-six-year-old Jessica Lynn Howell’s daughter, Ashlynn Lilith Peters, died on Dec. 3, 2012 after she was allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled to death by Jordan Lafayette Prince, Howell’s boyfriend. Prosecutors say the night before the girl was assaulted and killed, Howell had taken Ashlynn with her to spend the night at Prince’s home. READ MORE HERE

Sunderland, U.K. – A woman whose father raped her because he ‘couldn’t afford a prostitute’ has finally spoken out about her ordeal to encourage other victims to prosecute their abusers. Sylvia Prescott, from Sunderland, was tormented by her parent Oliver Garside while she was a teenager but kept the abuse secret for nearly 30 years. The 47-year-old couldn’t bring herself to go to the police while her grandmother was still alive for fear that the details of the case would upset her. READ MORE HERE

A lesbian couple is facing 13 counts of child abuse after being accused of abusing their three children. Eraca Dwan Craig, 31, and Christian Jessica DeAnda, 44, of Salinas, California, reportedly starved and beat all three children, and chained the oldest girl, 8, to a wall so she could not get food. The 13 charges include child abuse, child endangerment, false imprisonment and torture. READ MORE HERE

St. Petersburg, Florida — A 5-year-old girl died after being thrown from a bridge into Tampa Bay early Thursday and her father is facing first-degree murder charges, St. Petersburg police say. The incident occurred just after midnight. The girl was pulled from the water and Tampa Police spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez told The Associated Press rescuers who found the girl tried to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead at a local hospital 2:44 a.m. Thursday. READ MORE HERE

Dad accused of tossing girl off bridge called lawyer ‘God’

911 call: Dad ‘nuts’ before girl thrown off bridge

Girl Found Dead After Being Thrown Off Bridge

Child protection services pledge overhaul after numerous missed chances to stop father from throwing his daughter, 5, to her death off 60 ft bridge

Aldair Hodza and Laura Sorensen Arrested for Child Physical, Sexual Abuse

New Kent County, Virginia – Two Iowa-residents were arrested in New Kent on Tuesday for the apparent abduction and abuse of a young woman. The arrests occurred after a truck driver called the New Kent Sheriff’s Office reporting that he noticed suspicious activity at the Pilot gas station on Route 106 near I-64. The truck driver said he noticed a tan-colored RV parked behind the gas station. There was a man going in and out of the RV, and a woman peering out from inside the RV before the curtains were quickly shut, according to court records. READ MORE HERE

Jailed for 25-years over child porn so depraved it shocked veteran FBI investigators

Germantown, MARYLAND – A former federal cyber-security expert who used his professional skills to hide his membership of a ‘dark web’ child pornography ring called PedoBook has been jailed for 25 years. Timothy DeFoggi, 56, of Germantown, Maryland, joined a Tor-based website which featured images of child sex abuse believing that his activity would be completely anonymous. However, federal investigators discovered DeFoggi, who was the former acting director of cyber-security at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, joined the Tor-network-based website on March 2, 2012 until the site was taken down by the FBI on December 8, 2012. READ MORE HERE

UPDATE:  Teen shot brother after enduring years of abuse

FLORIDA – A 15-year-old girl and her 11-year-old sister have been arrested in Florida and charged with the murder of their 16-year-old brother, authorities said Tuesday. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said that Misty “Ariel” Kornegay, 15, grabbed a handgun from her parents’ bedroom and fatally shot her brother, 16, sometime before 10 p.m. Monday in the living room of their home, and that Ariel’s sister, 11-year-old Nicole Kornegay, helped in the crime. READ MORE HERE

3-week-old dead, abductor at large

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – The person who abducted 3-week-old Eliza Delcruz over the weekend is at large, and authorities have confirmed the baby was found dead in a San Diego County dumpster. The baby was kidnapped and her mother, father and uncle shot on Saturday in an incident that authorities said was not “a random act.” In a statement, Long Beach Police described the crimes as “heinous” and “horrific.” READ MORE HERE

Alicia Kozakiewicz: Lured, Kidnapped, Raped at 13

NAMPA, Idaho—When a local nurse’s son was sent to the juvenile corrections center here at age 15, she was upset, but relieved that he would be away from drugs and gangs. The single mother said that the “night he went in, I felt bad, but I could sleep because he was safe.” But within months, the head of security at the state juvenile corrections center in Nampa struck up a sexual relationship with the teenager, according to police reports. Julie McCormick admitted to having sex with him three times in 2012 while he was incarcerated, the reports said. READ MORE HERE

Christopher Austin, who reportedly killed a hunter as both shot at the same deer two years ago, is now facing eight counts of child rape.

A Wales man accused of shooting and killing another man while hunting two years ago is now facing several counts of child rape. Christopher S. Austin, 43, was arrested Dec. 23 on eight counts of gross sexual assault, said Lt. Glenn Holt of the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office. All but one of the charges is a Class A felony, Holt said. The remaining charge is a Class B. READ MORE HERE

A Hendersonville foster father charged in September with raping a 12-year-old girl who was placed in his home by the Department of Children’s Services has been indicted by a Sumner County grand jury. Randy Louis Roe, 56, of New Shackle Island Road was arrested by Sumner County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Sept. 17 and charged with one count of rape of a child. READ MORE HERE