I was not throwing that term around as a solution for all crimes against kids. You are putting words in my mouth because never once was that stated. The human trafficking angle is one that has been looked at for awhile in Tabitha's case. The only reason I brought it up because it was mentioned by an inmate in an article now written a few years ago since that post was made. We have no way of knowing if it is true or not, or if she was a victim of a sick twisted, person who just wanted to take her.
Here is the article about the tip:
http://www.examiner.com/article/tn-inmates-believe-tabitha-tuders-trafficked-to-memphis
Human trafficking is the second most profitable criminal enterprise in the black market next to drugs. You can find that fact at #4 in this article:
http://www.live58.org/10-facts-about-human-trafficking-everyone-should-know
The fact it has become so profitable makes it an even greater problem because it gives criminals motives. Any city is very susceptible to this problem. Majority of the girls caught in human trafficking are never reported missing. They get tricked into it for many ways. Sometimes they are sold by someone they love or a boyfriend. Other times they get drugged at a party or simply abducted. Pimps target girls who they feel are broken and have poor interpersonal relationships. They convince the girls to have a new life filled with money and security. These girls do not choose to stay, they have no choice. In a documentary Our America with Lisa Lang, she saw many young girls who were forced into human trafficking, but had no where to go even if they did leave. Shelters for girls in this position receive very low funding. Here are some personal stories of survivors:
http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/client-services/survivor-stories
As for trafficking within TN, I never said it was THE main place, but it does high up with there along with California, Texas, Nevada and New York. In this article, which is where I got this information, it names specific places in TN that are the top areas in the mid-south for sex slavery. An area in Mississippi was also mentioned:
http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/16502178/statistics-show-rise-in-human-trafficking-in-tennessee
Wolfchase Galleria, Sam Cooper Boulevard, Lamar Avenue, Memphis International Airport, and Tunica, Mississippi, are among the top areas in the Mid-South for sex slaves.
What should also be mentioned, is because of the rise of human trafficking shown by statistics in TN, six new laws were brought before TN legislators to crack down on this. A major effort has been made in TN, including the Polaris Project.
Human trafficking is a sensitive subject anywhere you go, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it. Keeping it in the dark is what these criminals who make their money from it want. We need to talk about it, to educate people about it and shine light on it if we hope to make a difference.
Consider these facts:
http://thecoveringhouse.org/act/resources-2/sex-trafficking-statistics-source-documentation/
I'm sure there are cases of false imprisonment everywhere, and it is terrible, but that can happen in any trial, not just ones for human trafficking. It's a shame that cases like that have to happen, but I hope it gives you no ill-feelings towards the efforts to combat human trafficking.