Metra is embarking on a new public service partnership with an organization called Reclaim13 to raise awareness of child sex trafficking in Illinois. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates more than 100,000 children in the United States are affected by trafficking.
Thirteen is the average age children are first induced into trafficking. Most trafficked children started as runaways, leaving difficult home lives. But instead of finding safety, they find abuse and exploitation. Reclaim13 reaches into the lives of children most vulnerable to abuse and exploitation through in-school prevention programs and by bringing awareness to the issue so individuals and communities can rally around these vulnerable children and provide healing through mentorship and shelter.
Reclaim13 also operates Cherish House, a home for girls between the ages of 10-21 recovering from sex trafficking. After learning from Reclaim13 that Metra had been used by some traffickers to transport their victims, we immediately agreed to get involved. Metra has designed a series of informational posters that will begin appearing on our trains in the coming weeks.
We have also started working with Reclaim13 to begin training our police force and our train crews on how to spot trafficking situations. For more information on the organization and itswork, go to: reclaim13.org.