Some promising signs in the news lately!

Trafficking May Be Shifting from Thailand to Malaysia

Human rights groups in Malaysia have noticed an uptick in people engaging in child sexual exploitation after crackdowns in other Asian countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines. While one doesn’t celebrate the continuance of this exploitation in other countries, we can cautiously take this as a sign that maybe the crackdowns in Thailand and elsewhere are working: that serious law enforcement, intervention and prosecution is having an effect. If they do prove effective, this gives us even more leverage to pressure countries like Malaysia to do the same.

Source: Free Malaysia Today

Trafficking Survivors Writing Software to Help Other Victims

A software company in California, AnnieCannons, is training trafficking survivors in every aspect of software engineering, so that they can write code in a way that is much more trafficking-victim centered, and thus hopefully more aware of the needs of victims. For example, one student designed an app that makes it easier to get a legal restraining order. The students can then later gain employment as software designers and earn good income–a fantastic way for them to gain better life prospects.

Source: Thomson Reuters

“Cyntoia Brown Bill’ to Help Child Trafficking Victims

Tennessee state lawmakers are considering a bill in Cyntoia Brown’s honor that would provide a defense for children who are victims of sexual assault, sex-trafficking, prostitution or sex-exploitation. Hopefully this will both protect child victims and serve as another deterrent against perpetrators.

Source: WVLT8 Knoxville

A Mistaken Facebook Post About Uber Goes Viral–But Still Should Exercise Caution

A woman in Tampa accidentally got into the wrong Uber car at the airport and posted a Facebook post about it accusing the driver of trafficking–but police say it was a mistake and the driver is not a trafficker and not at all at fault. Nevertheless, it’s always worthwhile for both drivers and passengers to remember to exercise caution.

Other tips from the Tampa Police Department:

• Make sure you get into the right car. Check the ride-sharing app for the license plate number and the model of car.
• Check the name of the driver and make sure the driver looks like their photo in the app.
• Before you enter the car, ask the driver who he or she is there to pick up. Since the app provides the driver with your name, they should be able to answer.
• Always sit in the back seat, so you can make a quick exit if you need to.

Source: USA Today