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5
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Grants
Our Rescueโs Survivor Care program provides Impact Grant for United States based non-profit organizations whose mission aligns with Our Rescueโs commitment to end human trafficking and child exploitation while empowering survivors to reclaim their lives and thrive on their healing journeys. In support of this mission, Our Rescueโs Survivor Care program works in partnership with service…
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Asia
On April 20, 2026, the Department of Provincial Administration (DoPA) in Bangkok, Thailand,ย heldย a ceremony to recognizeย the workย happeningย onย the ground toย fightย crimes ofย human trafficking andย childย exploitationย in Thailand.ย Underย the countryโs Ministry of Interior,ย DoPAย is tasked withย maintainingย public safety and national securityย andย overseeingย civil registration, local governance, and community-level legal enforcement across theย countryโsย 76 provinces.ย At the ceremony,ย DoPAย presented commemorative pins and certificates…
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Child Exploitation
Our Rescue lauds the passage and signing of the Renewed Hope Act, a significant milestone in the fight against online child sexual exploitation. WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 16, 2026 – Spearheaded by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and supported by child protection experts including Tim Tebow Foundation, this new legislation makes…
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Homepage Featured
Large-scale events, like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, bring together communities, fans, businesses, and visitors from around the world. With matches taking place across 16 host markets, the World Cup requires extensive planning and coordination among public safety agencies, community organizations, and multidisciplinary partners long before the first match begins…
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Child Exploitation
The passage and signing of the Renewed Hope Act marks a significant milestone in the fight against online child sexual exploitation. Spearheadedย byย Senatorย Josh Hawley (R-MO)ย andย supported byย child protection experts including Tim Tebow Foundation, this newย legislation makesย an historic investment into Victim Identification, a critical step in theโฏfight against childโฏsexualโฏexploitation and human trafficking.ย ย President Trump signed a legislative…
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Homepage Featured
As the State of New Jersey prepares to host one of the worldโs largest sporting events, partnerships like the one between Our Rescue and the New Jersey Childrenโs Alliance offer a best practice in proactive prevention and preparedness. New Jersey is about to welcome one of the worldโs most preeminent events: the 2026…
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Homepage Featured
Human trafficking and child exploitation are serious human rights challenges facing communities across the United States. Prevention begins with awareness, and meaningful change happens when communities come together to equip young people with the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe. In February 2026, Our Rescue had the opportunity to partner with the …
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Asia
Every day, children and young people spend more of their lives online, learning, connecting, and exploring the world around them. At the same time, they are exposed to increased risk from predators and trafficking networks lurking in that same โdigital oceanโ – searching for their next victim. In Thailand specifically, children are not as likely to report their experiences of online exploitation. …
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Field Operations
Every day, predators use small digital devices like SD cards, cell phones, USB drives, hard drives, and micro-storage devices to hide evidence of child sexual abuse from law enforcement. These devices are easily concealed almost anywhere – inside walls, clothing, furniture, behind electrical outlets, in vehicles, or buried beneath clutter, making them incredibly difficult for investigators to find during searches. …
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Field Operations
Exactly one year ago, Our Rescueโs Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 program hit a milestone: a record 11 dogs graduated, embarking on a life with a very important mission โ to help protect vulnerable children and bring criminals to justice. Since June 2025, these K9s have joined over 130 other K9s in helping law enforcement arrest well over 1,300…
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Homepage Featured
Executive Advisor to the CrowdStrike CEO and Former FBI Executive Assistant Director Brings Extensive Cybersecurity and Investigative Expertise to the Fight Against Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. โ June 10, 2026 โ Our Rescue, a global nonprofit dedicated to combating human trafficking and child exploitation, today announced the appointment of Shawn Henry, executive advisor to the CEO at…
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Europe
Our Rescue announces new partnership with Moldovan National Police to combat child exploitation and human trafficking.ย On May 20, 2026, Our Rescue signed a new formal partnership agreement with Moldovan National Police which will focus on strengthening efforts to fight child exploitation and human trafficking in Moldova.ย ย As part of the…
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Child Exploitation
By Amy Bruins, Vice President of Community Impact at Our Rescue Grooming rarely announces itself. It often begins quietlyโwith attention, encouragement, shared interests, or supportโlong before boundaries are crossed or risks are recognized. Because grooming is a deliberate, relationship-based process rather than a single event, it can unfold anywhere children and young people communicate or…
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Asia
*Alias used to protect survivor identity. In Southeast Asia, a young girl named *May was just 17 years old, living in economically vulnerable conditions with her mother and older sister. Her mother worked as a housekeeper earning just enough to meet their most basic needs. May carried a quiet hope for a different future. Like many people her age,…
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Field Operations
Behind closed doors and behind screens, unthinkable acts of child exploitation are committed by predators in ways that can easily be hidden and difficult to trace. Through child sexual abuse material (CSAM), a single upload, a simple message, or a hidden file can put a child in the crosshairs of a predator who is committing unimaginable crimes. Fortunately, in the state of Vermont, law enforcement has an Electronic Storage Detection…
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Europe
*Alias used to protect survivor identity. In 2023, Our Rescue supported an operation in Spain to help law enforcement take down a criminal group that was suspected of forcing 24 women from four different countries into forced commercial sexual exploitation. Six days a week, the women worked morning and night and were moved across multiple locations on Mallorca, an island in the Mediterranean Sea.
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Field Operations
In March of 2026, investigators with CiberPOL, part of the Ecuadorian National Police, followed a CyberTip submitted to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and traced it to a location south of the city. Someone was distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), meaning children were in need of help. Working quickly, with support from Our Rescue, investigators built a careful case in…
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Child Exploitation
By Jackie Block Goldstein, LSW, Vice President for Survivor Care at Our Rescue, and John Trenary Vice President of Cyber at Our Rescue Disclaimer: This content is provided for educational purposes only. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, contact 9-1-1 or your local authorities. Raising kids in todayโs digital environment is no easy feat. In addition…
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Field Operations
In Latin America, law enforcement continues to confront the growing spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These horrific cases often begin with a tip online and lead police to discover real sexual abuse involving children. A recent series of four โOperation Guardianโ cases, supported by Our Rescue in Ecuador and Chile, highlight how coordinated investigations, digital intelligence, and in-country support are essential in helping…
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Field Operations
In just two days, Ecuadorian National Police (ENP), their Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (UNAT), the Attorney Generalโs Office (FGE), and members of Our Rescueโs team in Latin America came together to rescue two teenaged girls, ages 14 and 17, from a life of sexual exploitation. Embroiled in extremely dangerous gang activity, caught between a notorious Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) and local rival gangs,…
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Field Operations
Every day, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) receives thousands of CyberTipline reports that require urgent review because they may involve children in immediate danger. In 2024 alone, staff identified and escalated more than 51,000 reports as urgent or involving imminent risk and…
14
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Child Exploitation
By the end of this article, you will understand what online child sexual exploitation is, how it happens, how to recognize the warning signs, what to do if you suspect it, and โ most of all โ how to prevent it in the first place. For many kids, summer marks the start of freedom: less structure, more time with friends, and greater independence…
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Homepage Featured
By Amy Bruins, Vice President of Community Impact, Our Rescue Mature Content Warning: This article discusses mature themes portrayed in Euphoria, including addiction, sexual exploitation, coercion, assault, commercial sexual exploitation, forced criminality, and human trafficking. Euphoria (HBO) has never been a show that shies away from difficult subjects. The series explores complex and often uncomfortable themes including addiction, coercion,…
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Field Operations
Thanks to a collaborative partnership with Our Rescue and kNot Today, the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office welcomed its first Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 and the community of Terre Haute, Indiana will never be the same. Do aย quick Google search online forย โESDย K9 Paddyย Indianaโย andย youโllย see why Vigo Countyโs newestย member of theย Sheriffโs Departmentย has been in…
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Child Exploitation
By Jackie Block Goldstein, LSW, Vice President for Survivor Care at Our Rescue, and John Trenary Vice President of Cyber at Our Rescue In early 2026,ย separate juries in California and New Mexico foundย twoย popularย social mediaย companies liable for contributing to the mental health crisis amongย children. Theย landmark verdictsย confirmed what many families…
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Europe
For over a year, Our Rescue has partnered withโฏOSINT Industriesโฏto help law enforcement address human trafficking and child exploitation. This collaboration has now expanded through a formal agreement and ongoing joint efforts to equip investigators with advanced open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools and training that help rescue children and put predators behind bars. Together, teams have supported law enforcement agencies across Europe, including Romania, Italy, Kosovo, Spain, and Malta. These efforts focus…
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Field Operations
Every day, children are sexually exploited by predators behind closed doors and evidence of that abuse is deliberately hidden. To fight these crimes, our four-legged heroes work alongside police to help rescue those children and bring them justice. In 2022, Our Rescue-sponsored Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 Boone graduated from the Jordan Detection K9…
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Field Operations
In Ecuador, two 7-year-old girls were allegedly being sexually exploited by their father. In February of 2026, investigators from the Ecuadorian National Police (ENP) Anti-Trafficking Unit (UNAT) discovered child sexual abuse material (CSAM) featuring the two children in sexually explicit photographs that were being distributed to a social media group. Working alongside the Attorney Generalโs Office (FGE) and with the support of Our Rescue, ENP UNAT initiated a search and arrest warrant at…
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Homepage Featured
By Jim Cole, Senior Advisor for Cyber Strategy and Child Protection, Our Rescue Published in recognition of National Police Week, May 2026 People ask me, โHow do you do it?โ Not my law enforcement colleagues. They already know the answer, or they have their own version of it. The question…
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Field Operations
In Ecuador, a 12-year-old child was living under a lie facing sexual exploitation. An adult had convinced the child that he was family and someone they could trust, someone who had authority in their life. He then used that false identity to gain control and sexually exploit, creating a reality that no child should ever have to navigate. But investigators with…
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News Media
June Haskell brings over ten years of experience speaking as a survivor of sex trafficking, domestic violence, childhood trauma and drug endangerment. From policies and programs to events and media, June works as Director of Survivor Engagement at Our Rescue and is a valued and respected resource. April is…
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Field Operations
She was only 17 years old, and she was being sold online for sex. In September, the Peruvian National Police received a tip that someone was allegedly advertising the sexual services of minors, girls between the ages of 14 and 17, through a website and across social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp,…
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Homepage Featured
Our Rescue is proud to support international efforts to combat online child exploitation through technology innovation and advancement. Thank you to John Trenary, Vice President of Cyber, and Jim Cole, Senior Advisor of Cyber Strategy and Child Protection, for representing Our Rescue. This week in Lyon, France, 78 participants, from…
2
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Field Operations
In October 2025, in Pendleton, Indiana, a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) led investigators to a 24-year-old man whose online activity raised immediate concern. What began as a small number of flagged files quickly expanded into a digital investigation andย subsequentย search warrant, where detectives uncovered…
2
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Field Operations
Within 48 hours, Our Rescueโs collaboration with the Ecuadorian National Police (ENP) Anti-Trafficking Unit (UNAT) and the Attorney General’s Office (FGE) in Ecuador resulted in the arrest of 4 individuals suspected of sexually exploiting children. Today, 4 children are now safe from sexual abuse. In August of 2025, teams came together in Guayaquil to respond to the exploitation of a 14-year-old girl. Investigators…
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Europe
On March 19, 2026, Romanian authorities carried out a significant operation to rescue a 13-year-old girl living in the deeply unsafe and sexually exploitative environment of trafficking. The young girl faced vulnerabilities to exploitation on multiple levels. Police reported that she came from a difficult family situation, suffered from multiple disabilities, and limited resources. Additionally, she was in emergency placement due to her family’s instability. In February…
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News Media
Inside DHSโs Cyber Crimes Center (C3) in Fairfax, Virginia, I witnessed firsthand what global collaboration against child exploitation truly looks like when law enforcement officers from around the world gathered for Operation Renewed Hope. This past March, nearly 100 officers from 35 countries worked side by side, creating a temporary…
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Asia
At Our Rescue, we believe that prevention is the key to protecting children from becoming victims of online threats. Thatโs why our teams are committed to guiding ongoing efforts to raise awareness and strengthen safeguards in an increasingly digital world. This year marks the fourth consecutive year of advancing this effort through the โOnline…
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Field Operations
ย On January 13, 2026, Our Rescue team in Latin America partnered with the Ecuadorian National Police Anti-Trafficking Unit and the Attorney General’s Office in Operation Esperanza 04 in Quito. What began as a missing person report led to the safe recovery of a 17-year-old survivor and her infant baby, both of whom had been caught…
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Field Operations
In Boone County, Kentucky, investigators followed a digital trail that led them to a home in Florence, where online activity linked to a man suspected of sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), previously referred to as child pornography. After building a careful case, detectives arrived at the suspectโs residence in December and began a thorough search, working carefully through the…
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Field Operations
In the Huaycรกn district of Lima, Peru, one child, the niece of an adult male predator, was being sexually abused and exploited behind closed doors. In the city of Huancayo, based in the Junin region, miles away, another two minor-age children, family cousins to that same perpetrator, lived separate lives but faced the same abuse at the hands of the same man. Peruvian investigators would soon connect both. In late 2025, multiple CyberTipline reports submitted by Google through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children…
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Asia
Stories like this appear far too often. A trusted adult sexually abuses a child. The abuse is recorded. The child sexual abuse material (CSAM), commonly known as child pornography, is stored or shared online. The child waits helplessly for intervention. Sometimes it comes. Sometimes it doesnโt. The pattern repeats across…
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Europe
On February 5, 2026, Romanian authorities carried out an operation in Constanศa that brought a trafficking network to light and put an immediate end to the exploitation of two young women whose lives had been pulled into it.ย Investigators report a 15-year-old minor and a 19-year-old vulnerable young woman were manipulated…
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Field Operations
Our Rescue recently celebrated another milestone in the fight against child exploitation and human trafficking as nine new Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 teams graduated from the Jordan Detection K9 Program and joined law enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada.ย With this newest class, the number of…
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Human Trafficking
When we think about human trafficking, we often picture traffickers, the recruiters and manipulators; or we focus on rescue and the moment someone reaches safety. Both of these pieces matter deeply. But there is another part of the story that is harder to talk about, a part that quietly sustains the entire system. The buyers. The…
3
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Human Trafficking
In order to successfully combat human trafficking today, we must understand that everything we thought we knew about who the traffickers are is incomplete. In the past, we were warned about โstrange white vansโ or being abducted while traveling in foreign countries while on vacation. The modern-day trafficker has become more concealed, while still hiding in plain sight. The reality…
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Child Exploitation
By Renata Parras, General Counsel, Our Rescue In addition to leading Our Rescueโs Legal team, Renata builds strategic partnerships with NGOs, technology companies, law enforcement, and industrial sectors. She brings more than 15 years of experience advising on human rights, human trafficking, social impact, cross border risk, and cross-sector collaboration. Previously, she served as ESG and Pro…
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Homepage Featured
Our Rescue today announced that internationally recognized child exploitation expertย Jim Coleย has joinedย as the Senior Advisor,ย Cyber Strategy & Child Protection. In this role, Cole will focus onย strengthening partnerships with law enforcement and accelerating the identification and protection of child victims worldwide.ย Cole bringsย nearly 37ย years of experience in government and law enforcement,…
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Asia
On January 14, 2026, investigators in Thailand identified evidence suggesting a 6-year-old child was being sexually exploited and was linked to confirmed child sexual abuse material (CSAM). That evidence triggered an investigation to determine what had happened and how to rescue the child from further harm. Working alongside Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) Thailand ICAC, law enforcement and Our Rescue teams reviewed digital…
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Field Operations
Predators looking toย exploit childrenย often place themselves inย positions of trust. Caregivers, service providers, and professionals may have access to children precisely because they are perceived as safe. This reality makes these crimes harder to detect, meaningย itย isย even moreย important that police have theย specialized toolsย andย investigative support they needย to find the offenders who intentionally concealย child…
2
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Child Exploitation
This year, Our Rescue-sponsored Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 Bandit continued to make an extraordinary impact alongside his handler and law enforcement in Nevada and the Tahoe region. Banditโs work has supported multiple investigations involving sexual crimes against children and major criminal activity, helping officers locate digital evidence that might otherwise remain hidden. Across northern…
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Field Operations
Across northern Nevada, several recent investigations led to significant arrests tied to crimes against children and drug trafficking. Behind the scenes in multiple operations was a four-legged investigator named Bandit. In Reno, a woman was arrested on charges related to the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) after authorities executed a search warrant…
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News Media
Our Rescue is pleased to welcome Sonny Von Cleveland as Director of Public Engagement and Content, a role designed to support and amplify survivor centered engagement. A nationally recognized advocate, author, speaker, and storyteller, Sonny brings lived experience and a commitment to healing, connection, and dignity. His work focuses on encouraging…
1
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Asia
In Thailand, a four-year-old girl was subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse by someone meant to protect herโher father. Cases like this often remain hidden, especially when abuse occurs inside the home, and fear or intimidation keeps the child from speaking out. In response to a tip, local authorities launched Operation Nest, an operation led by Thailand Internet Crimes…
2
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Field Operations
For the past several years in Kenosha, when search warrants were executed in cases involving digital exploitation, two partners entered the scene together: Detective Pete Deates and Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 Iris. One carried decades of investigative experience. The other carried a nose trained to find what offenders try to hide. Together, they represent the final chapter of a 23-year career defined by…
1
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Europe
Since at least November 2023, a transnational criminal organization was exploiting vulnerable women from Latin America, Europe, and Africa. The group lured the women through deception and debt bondage, controlling them through housing, and profiting from their sexual exploitation by managing five brothels and advertising services online. In addition to…
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Child Exploitation
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant concept or a futuristic tool reserved for tech labs and movies. Itโs here, embedded in everyday life, accelerating innovation across industries, and reshaping how people learn, work, and connect. And, like many transformative technologies before it, AI is neither inherently good nor…
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Field Operations
Each year, the American Humane Society honors extraordinary dogs across the United States through the Hero Dog Awards, a nationwide competition and fundraising event. This year, the awards banquet was held at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, attended by approximately 350 people, including supporters, families, previous winners, and donors. Among the honorees was Our Rescue-sponsored…
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Where Does Human Trafficking Happen
While most of the world is focused on the game, law enforcement and organizations are focused on fighting human trafficking at the Super Bowl.
4
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Child Exploitation
In a recentย Guardian interview,ย actressย Mara Wilson, beloved for her work as a childย actressย in movies such asย โMatilda,โย andย โMrs. Doubtfire,โย shared a modern horror story. She discovered that her likeness when she was a child had been used to create AI-generated child sexual abuse materialย (AIG-CSAM). Her story…