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FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WVNS) — After multiple cases of missing girls, the Women’s Resource Center in Fayetteville wants to warn parents.
According to Twanna Warner, the Sexual Assault Victim Advocate at the center, human trafficking happens often in southern West Virginia. Warner explained traffickers go after vulnerable children and groom them before eventually taking them. They will gain their trust before putting the kids in serious danger, according to Warner.
“Watch your kid’s behavior,” Warner said. “You know your child. If you see something different, go investigate it. If you’re paying for the phone, go look in it. That’s your phone. That child doesn’t have a right to let you not see that phone. Sometimes you have to be the parent and protect your child.”
If your child changes their appearance, starts to become withdrawn, or begins talking to someone unfamiliar, it could a be sign of human trafficking. Warner said it is important to keep an open conversation with your children, and to really pay close attention about who they are talking to.
If you have any questions, or think your child may be at risk for trafficking, you can contact the Women’s Resource Center through their website or by phone at (304) 574-0500.
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