PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Local and state leaders are working to prevent vulnerable children in state care from going missing, running away, or being trafficked.
As summer starts and kids have more free time on their hands, leaders fear predators could take advantage of children and put them in dangerous situations.
A newly filed warrant details the story of a juvenile who ran away from their group home in Hillsborough County on and off for several years. Investigators believe the child is a victim of human trafficking. Cases like this one are the reason Sen. Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg is taking action.
“Right under our nose, missing in broad daylight,” Rouson said. “A child is so vulnerable that we must take care of the young as we do the old.”
That’s why Rouson sponsored a bill to create a special task force to find the root cause of why kids go missing, run away, or are trafficked while in foster care and how to stop it.
“All of these young children in Florida need protection and they all need people to care about them,” said Ashley Moody, Florida Attorney General.
State leaders are working to close the gap.
“One child missing is a child that could be subjected to trafficking, to sexual exploitation, to criminality and we need to stop this,” said Rouson.
Data from the Department of Children and Families shows 195 kids on average went missing from state care. As of March, the trend is on the rise.
“I think there’s a higher risk with school being out and children going to youth centers and other daycare-type activities we need to get a grip on this right now,” said Rouson.
The bill has passed the House and the Senate and is now awaiting the governor’s signature as soon as that happens, the task force will get to work.