SCTNow raises awareness, funds, at ESX

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Representatives from Stop Child Trafficking Now (SCTNow) had a booth on the show floor of ESX to raise awareness and funds for their non-profit organization.

“Our strategy is to go after the demand,” said Jason Weis, national sponsorship director, SCTNow. And the demand, sadly, is great, he told Security Systems News.

Child sex trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world, behind drug trafficking, and 25 percent of the demand comes from the U.S., he said. “At least 100,000 children are exploited in our country each year.”

“You can save more children if you go after the demand,” he said. “You have to go after the root cause, the buyers and predators.”

SCTN was at the security show because it has partnerships with many companies and individuals in the security industry including George De Marco, ESX chair.

The strategy of SCTNow is to partner with Navy Seals “and use the same strategy that is used to track down terrorists to track down child traffickers.”

The Seals do surveillance and intelligence gathering through “boots on the ground, cyber specialists, and a database.” Law enforcement has access to the database as does DHS. Once there's enough evidence, law enforcement gets involved to apprehend these criminals. “We gather and supply actionable intelligence to initiate investigations that lead to arrests,” he explained.

Corporate sponsors “see major ROI” by getting involved, Weis said. Supporters will go out of their way to support companies who align with us, he said.

Although it has a presence across the country, a staff of only seven people runs SCTNow. For more information, visit SCTNow.org.