Bonners Ferry, ID -- (SBWire) -- 06/07/2012 --During the second hour of a two hour special, Lon Woodbury’s guest on Places for Struggling Teens was Allen Cardoza, President and Founder of West Shield Adolescent Services, West Shield Investigations and Answers 4 the Family. Allen shared with Lon his recollection of his early career experience as a 19-year-old discovering a runaway girl being exploited by the sex trade in this country. He then explained how his business is involved in transporting teens to and from schools and programs, busting sex trade operations, and recovering abducted children.
With an estimate of over 29 million people enslaved today world-wide, be it labor or sex trade, Allen explained that most times a child starts out as a runaway and then someone “takes them in- feeding and clothing them, taking care of them, and as a repayment, they are forced into prostitution.” When asked why these children don’t simply just runaway? He further went on to explain that many of these children are brought over from other countries are threatened with harm to their family members if they do not repay their debt, or will have their passports held. International human trafficking is more prevalent in 3rd world countries due to poverty and there are people out there who prey on them: offering the families they will take care of the children, to educate them in a trained profession and some of these are transported to the United States. They are simply exploiting these poor families for the false promise of a better future in the US.
When asked who these traffickers are, Allen explained they are either part of a large criminal syndicate or mom and pop criminals, street criminals recruiting these runaway children, using the boys for petty crimes and the girls for prostitution. As juveniles, these children are trained to keep their mouths shut if caught by law enforcement, knowing the consequences are lighter for them and soon they will be back out on the street working again. Yet, today’s law enforcement and the many task forces specially trained in human trafficking are trained to recognize when someone is a victim and what they can do to help them. There are numerous programs available to help these children, including those that re-train them into other professions, counseling and schooling.
In transporting teens to special needs schools and programs, Allen firmly believes that they (the transport agents) are the first step for that child’s journey. Therefore, to make the transport go as smoothly as possible, they talk to the parents at length, getting to know the child’s likes and dislikes in order to match them up with an agent they can relate to. And most importantly, “we treat them with respect.”
In summing up what the future holds for this real life detective, Allen shared “This is my calling…returning a child. The love I see in each other’s eyes when they are reunited is a high you cannot explain. It is so rewarding. Even if I won the lottery, I would do this.”
To listen to the full interview go to: Transporting Teens to a Better Future on LATalkRadio.
Also available in Podcast
Lon Woodbury, MA is the owner/founder of Woodbury Reports Inc. and StrugglingTeens.com. He has worked with families and struggling teens since 1984 and is the host of Parent Choices for Struggling Teens on LATalkRadio Mondays at 12:00pm, Pacific Time on Channel One.
Allen Cardoza is the President and founder of West Shield Adolescent Services, West Shield Investigations and Answers 4 the Family, a LA Talk Radio Show, every Monday at 11:00 am (PST). Through his speeches and articles, Allen offers practical solutions for parents and teens, as well as raises awareness about the secret underground world of human trafficking and child slavery. He is a co-author with world renowned motivational speaker Les Brown on the book Fight for Your Dreams which was released April 2011 and his book Running Away In America is currently available in eBook format for free on his website.
This segment was sponsored by Spring Ridge Academy, http://www.springridgeacademy.com , a therapeutic boarding school for girls in Arizona.
Woodbury Reports was founded in November 1989, by Lon Woodbury, MA, IECA, CEP, as an Independent Educational Consulting firm to help parents of teens making poor decisions select a private, parent choice program that would help return the family to normalcy. Through interviews with parents, communication with professionals who know your child well, and then thoroughly researching viable options, we can help parents make the right choices that will help your child get back on the right path. For more information about Woodbury Reports Inc., call 208-267-5550, or email to lon@woodbury.com, or visit the web site http://www.strugglingteens.com.
Transporting Teens to a Better Future
Allen Cordoza of West Shield Investigations recalls his early career experience as a 19-year-old discovering a runaway girl being exploited by the sex trade in this country.