Local sheriff involved in fighting trafficking

Most of us think of slavery as a stain on America's past, put to rest in large part with the assistance of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Our children study it in school, and we often refer to it as one of the world's greatest tragedies that "we must never forget" and will "never again" tolerate. However, many would be surprised to know that slavery still exists in the 21st century -- in America. It occurs in the form of human trafficking, and Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter has been selected to participate in a task force committed to its demise.

Believe it or not, the Department of Justice cited St. Louis as one of the top 20 trafficking locations in the nation, and Walter told the Southeast Missourian he is looking forward to informing the public about this "modern-day slavery" issue, an issue that has held his attention for years.

"It's actually slavery, and labor trafficking," he lamented. "Nobody thinks about human trafficking as slavery," he added. But it is slavery, and child victims average between 12 and 14 years of age. It's hard to believe that nearly 100,000 children and adults across the nation are held in its chains.

How does something like this occur -- in the United States, of all places -- in the year 2015?

Eradicating it is a tall order, as it is a "multibillion-dollar-a-year industry," second only to drug sales, but Walter and the 20 others tapped to combat it are determined to rise up to meet it. Walter is the only sheriff in the area selected to participate in the task force being chaired by state Rep. Elijah Haahr.

Haahr identified three task force priorities: get testimony throughout the state to identify the problems Missouri has, as well as its resources, give the Legislature ideas to enact into law and promote awareness of human trafficking.

We must not turn a blind eye to such a despicable problem that should have no place in our society. The same determined efforts that brought us through the slavery of old must bring us through this modern-day slavery and free its captives. This task force, with the assistance of Sheriff Walter, is one means to that end.