It is difficult for most of us to grasp how anyone could brutalize young children, and exploit them commercially to satisfy the lascivious desires of an insidious and ever-growing consumer market. Yet this depraved element of humanity now feeds one of the most lucrative industries in the world—the trafficking, enslavement, and sexual exploitation of children. Child advocacy and other human rights groups estimate the human trafficking industry grosses many billion of dollars each year, and is the third largest source of income for organized crime next only to illicit weapons and drugs. Unlike weapons and drugs, however, a human being is—to organized crime—a commodity that keeps earning income, day-after-day. Human trafficking, especially the exploitation of children, is now a global epidemic of truly alarming proportions. It is currently estimated that many millions of children are enslaved or involved in illegal prostitution, child pornography, and the trafficking of children for other purposes, such as servitude and the burgeoning trade in human organs.

In this conversation, PHENOMENON focuses on The Endangered Child Initiative—a dual-faceted, independently-funded organization based in Europe that functions to facilitate the rescue of and rehabilitation of homeless, exploited and endangered children, finding them medical help and long-term safety and care.

PHENOMENON talks with The Endangered Child Initiative’s Founder and Director of Strategic Operations, David A. Glen, who tells how he originally became involved in the fight against the trafficking and exploitation of children, describes the extent of this horrifying pandemic, how his organization functions, and how effective it is in making a difference.

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