Event sheds light on human trafficking

Panelelists, Dr. Daniel Broughton, Patty Wetterling, Leah Faust

MASON CITY, Iowa - Each year, an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing.

Thats according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Saturday, an event in our area is shedding some light on the issues of child abuse and child sex trafficking.

For Patty Wetterling, it's a subject that hits close to home.

In 1989 her 11-year old son Jacob was abducted near their St. Joseph home, and to this day he hasn't been found.

Shortly after he went missing, Patty founded the Jacob Wetterling Foundation and has become an activist for missing and exploited children.

Now she's sitting on a panel at an event called "Breaking the Chains of Modern Slavery."

"We weren't thinking, we simply weren't thinking, who would do that and I think we should be that shocked and that surprised."

Many believe something like sex trafficking could never happen in their communities, but these panelists are bringing to light the harsh reality, that sexual exploitation of children can happen anywhere.

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Event sheds light on human trafficking