How could this happen in a suburb of Washington D.C.?  People would have seen something.  Somebody would have said something or called the police.  What about your family?  What about your mother?  Why didn’t you tell anyone?

I’ve heard all of these responses.  Nobody wants to believe it.  Nobody wants to admit that it is possible for this level of absurdity to happen in our modern, civilized society.  As Americans, we like to label our country as “first world” or “developed”.  We are quick to judge other countries for human rights violations, but it is difficult for us to face our own.  So we don’t look for it.  We ignore it.  We pretend it isn’t there.

Of course, there’s another problem.  Families that are engaged in this type of activity don’t decide to traffic their children on a whim.  It’s a plan.  If someone is an expert bank robber, and is clearly breaking the law, they have a detailed plan so they do not get caught.  Abusive families work the same way.  They have a detailed plan. read more…