The United States has a growing problem of child exploitation.  It is a hidden secret that law enforcement thought had decreased.  Now with the help of technology, child sex trafficking has grown and it is even harder to track it.

I recently read how Thorn, an organization dedicated to stopping child sex trafficking, is figuring out ways to identify child exploitation on the internet.  Based upon their statistics, over 100,000 advertisements are put up daily selling children.   (https://www.wearethorn.org/join-us/) Child exploitation is an ongoing problem within the US.  The internet only makes the crime harder to follow.  The US is the number one producer of child pornography in the world.  (https://www.wearethorn.org/child-sexual-exploitation-and-technology/ )  The traffickers are no longer having children on the streets.  The violators are coming to the traffickers.

 Actress Demi Moore and Actor Ashton Kutcher are co-founders of the organization.  They are working with multiple companies to identify traffickers and children.  Thorn is identifying different ways to stop exploitation through technology such as text messaging, research, sifting through advertisements, and having digital defenders.  (https://www.wearethorn.org/our-work-to-stop-child-sexual-exploitation/)

The company is making strides in the right direction.  Fighting traffickers and helping law enforcement has given some children the opportunity to have a new beginning.