Streetbound

Troye Sivan - For Them (Opens in new Tab/Window)

[Author's Note: As many of you may know, my grandson, Trevor, went missing on May 1, 2018. It appears he was the victim of a Child Trafficking ring. This chapter is dedicated to Trevor and the many other boys and girls who fall victim to this tragedy of the human condition each and every year.]

Trey awoke, seeing Blaze cuddled up to Brandon. He realized how cute they looked together. Rather than wake them, he got up, dressed, and went out to get a newspaper. Little did he know that he'd see something that would shake him to his very core.

Sitting at the little table in their room, Trey opened to the world news section of the paper only to find an article entitled, "Thousands of Children Abducted Annually, Sold into Child Prostitution and Sex Slavery"

The article captured his mind. In it, he found that worldwide,  at least 20.9 million adults and children are bought and sold worldwide into commercial sexual servitude, forced labor and bonded labor. About 2 million children are exploited every year in the global commercial sex trade. 54% of trafficking victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

He couldn't believe that this was happening, even with the problem of runaway and kids just kicked out of their homes. He got up, wrote a note for the two sleeping teens that he was going to the library and would be back.

He went to the library and started doing some research on one of the public Internet terminals. He found that many of those kids who had been taken were accessed via their online activities. Kids enter chat rooms to talk to others who might be in the same situation in their lives, or merely to have friends their age to talk to about normal stuff. In those rooms can be people with other intent.

He read article after article, each one more horrific than the last. Then he read an article that hit close to home. A boy he knew had been abducted. He immediately began to wonder. He began to worry. He began to pray.

Trey left the library about 10:00 AM and immediately found a telephone. He called his friend's family. He arranged to go to their home that afternoon, he told them he'd be with two other boys. He then went back to the room and found Brandon and Blaze sitting on the bed watching TV.

Blaze took one look at Trey and jumped up, "Why have you been crying?"

Trey showed them the article he'd read and told them of his trip to the library. Then he told them about Trevor. They readily agreed to go with him to visit Trevor's dad that afternoon.

 Sitting in the living room, Trevor's Dad, Mike, related the story of Trevor's disappearance...

"He'd been chatting online with some friends. He'd been doing that for a year or so. I knew about it, but didn't really monitor what he was saying or who he was talking to. I really wish I had."

He continued, "He was contacted by someone claiming to be another teen. They got to talking and Trevor told him that he was gay. The talks they had got increasingly sexual. After a few days, Trevor found out that the 'kid' lived nearby and they agreed to meet to 'hook up.' Trevor knew that he wasn't supposed to meet people he met online... but he's 15, he doesn't always do what he's told."

"At about 9:00 PM, Trevor snuck out of the house. That was the last day I saw him." At this point, Mike broke down crying. After a few minutes, he regained his composure and continued, "I called the police. They went to where Trevor's phone was located using tracking and they found his clothing and his phone, but neither Trevor nor the 'boy' he was going to meet were there. I asked them, 'Where would he have gone without his clothes or his phone?' That's when they told me that it is common for boys and girls who are abducted to be kept naked, it limited their ability to escape."

"It's been almost a month since Trevor disappeared. In that time they determined that Trevor was likely taken by a group that the police have been trying to catch for a while. A group that takes boys and girls and sells them into sex slavery. We may never know what happened to Trevor, or if he's even still alive."

Needless to say, all three boys were shocked by this. The lives they led seemed blessed compared to being forced to do things against their will with people they didn't choose to go with. Even in Brandon's case, where he didn't mind doing things with an adult, it was horrific to think of.

They left Mike's home and went back to their motel. They talked for a while about what was happening, wondering how people could treat other people like that. There wasn't much they could do, but, they had to do something.

Over the next several hours they tried to think of what to do but were unable to come up with a workable solution. Finally, Blaze, tears running down his face, sobbed out, "Why? My Dad tossed me out, but in a way, I was lucky, I found Trey. Why didn't Mike pay more attention to Trevor? Why didn't he CARE enough?"

Mike cared. But like many parents trusted his son, respected his privacy. There was no solution to the problem. But the thing they didn't realize was, there is a solution. Awareness. Making kids and parents aware of what can happen. Making them understand that it CAN happen to them.

They cuddled that night and slept, tomorrow would be another day... Hopefully, there would be another day for Trevor. As they were laying in bed, each, in his own mind, said a prayer for Trevor and the other kids in his situation. They vowed they'd do all they could to make sure people knew about the dangers.

Both Trey and Blaze realized that they had access to many 'at risk' kids through their chosen line of work. They'd make sure to let the boys they 'serviced' know what could happen. Not to be 'preachy' but to show them that they cared. Heck, it might even be good for their business.

[To Be Continued]

[Author's Note: I know this chapter is short, but it was something I felt NEEDED to be written. Research for yourself. There's a ton of information, videos, victim stories and the like online. Many focus on girls, but it can happen regardless of gender, age, social standing, immigrant status, or any other factor; it can happen to YOU!]