Without a doubt, the greatest struggle for men in the fight against human trafficking is coming to the realization that our options for involvement are limited. If you’re not a cop, a counselor, a politician or a celebrity…there is only so much you can do.
EPIK stands for Everyman Protecting Innocent Kids. That is who we are…the “everyman.” We don’t carry a badge and a gun, we’re not in the halls of government writing laws, we lack both the skill to help young women make the difficult journey from victim to survivor and we don’t have the platform of a professional athlete or celebrity. So what can we do to make a difference?
This was a question we posed to local law enforcement about a year ago. It led to an ongoing conversation that led to the EPIK Cyber Patrol. Last fall, with training and support provided by Potland Police and the Multnomah Co. District Attorney’s Office, Vancouver Police and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 10 Portland-based EPIK men launched a pilot program with two simple goals:
- Increase the capacity of the law enforcement community in their efforts to fight human trafficking.
- Disrupt the local sex market by engaging buyers directly at the point of sale.
Over the course of a couple months, this team succeeded in making nearly 1000 direct contacts with sex buyers via email, phone and text. Our message was simple: “we know you’re doing this. You need to know it’s illegal, oh and by the way we’re sharing all this information with the police..have a nice day.” The information gathered and the lessons learned in this process have resulted in a growing database that has been made available to law enforcement as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
As a Patrol Member, you’ll have the opportunity to directly engage other men who are out there “demanding” sex with the vulnerable in our community. You will have the chance to disrupt the marketplace that has destroyed the lives of so many and you will be doing so with the full cooperation and support of the police.
If you’ve ever felt the frustration of not knowing how to make a difference in this fight….if you’ve ever wished for something tangible, measurable…meaningful…something beyond merely “awareness” the EPIK Cyber Patrol is for you.
Time is short. Space is limited and there’s a lot at stake, so join us. For more information, contact Justin at [email protected].
