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Winter in America is sometimes unbearable but fortunately, most of us will hunker down in the warmth, comfort, and safety of our homes. But not everyone. Especially not the people experiencing the nightmares I’ll mention here. In the United States, about 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience sexual abuse. Furthermore, 1 out of 6 women have experienced a rape attempt or have been raped. And there are those trapped in human trafficking. Human Trafficking is when someone is coerced, threatened, or forced into physical labor or sexual servitude. There are about ten-thousand new cases reported each year in America.
Acts of rape, molestation, and human trafficking often occur right down the street from us. Doubt what I say? A few years ago, law enforcement authorities talked about Toledo, Ohio as being one off the worst areas in the United States for Human Trafficking. Toledo, Ohio! Would you have ever guessed that?
But let me give you a more glaring example about what may be happening on your street. How many young girls do you think may live on your street? Ten, twenty, thirty, perhaps? Every stat that I have ever seen shows that about 1 in 4 girls are sexually molested, almost exclusively by a family member or someone known to them. So, out of the 30 girls who live on your street, statistically, about 7 are being molested. Shocking, isn’t it?
Many of us don’t realize what may be happening next door or down the street but some of us have an inkling. Sometimes the media gets it right and reports on rapes and other ugly behavior near us. Or we chat with coworkers or friends or browse social media and see glimpses of what’s going on around us. We sigh and think how terrible things are for so many in America and we think, at least hope, that cops will handle all that ugly around us. The term, ’Thin Blue Line’ has to do with police and it means that those who wear the blue, the police, are the thin blue line between the ugly and us. And yes, they are charged with keeping all the nasty at bay. And it’s a thin line because crime and disorder are hard to stop or control.
Proactive
If you and I care and want to help more of our neighbors feel warm and safe this and other winters, do we just let the ‘Thin Blue Line’ do their thing? Nah, we need to get proactive and do something more. Let’s not kick the can down the road waiting for someone else to do something and the police do much better with people helping. If we have the knowledge or even the feeling that a child or an adult may be being physically or sexually abused, let’s call the police. Let’s not be shy about it. If we want to keep anonymous, we can do so. Just getting some information to the police may make a world of positive difference for someone.
If we care, let’s not sit on our fannies and wait for others to help those in trouble. Those others may never show up. Let’s move forward and do something that can make a difference.
Steve's a three-time survivor of violence in his youth, a former police supervisor and a graduate of The Police Executive Leadership College (PELC) and was also an award winning part-time college Criminal Justice instructor.
For several years, Steve did written and radio political and current event commentary and was the former host of the long running 'The Kovacs Perspective' Internet radio and TV talk show.
Steve presently owns a small businesses in Ohio--The Mayfield Academy of Self-Defense.
- The Teacher from the Past—A True Story - March 11, 2024
- How To Survive and Safely Enjoy Hiking in the Woods - September 1, 2023
- Winter in America—Thin Blue Line and Do Something - February 6, 2023
