It's Time To 'Wake Up' To Terrifying Reality Of Human Trafficking With Hollywood Spotlight

“Wake Up!”

You may hear this phrase first thing in the morning from a parent or loved one to indicate it’s time to start the day.

You may hear “Wake Up” after a short (or long) cat nap.

But, it’s now time you hear “Wake Up” when it comes to the topic of human trafficking.

"Human Trafficking" is defined as "the unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation."

It’s time we, as a society, wake up to the terrifying reality of this business that is happening right under our noses Every. Single. Day.

Thankfully, there are cinematic geniuses in the entertainment industry who have brought this topic to light.

The Blast attended the red carpet premiere of Janet Craig’s movie, “Wake Up.”

Craig wrote, directed and starred in the film. She told The Blast this project has been over a decade in the making.

“Wake Up” is an award-winning film inspired by true stories. It tells the stories of several foster children who become human trafficking victims.

“A quiet community gets shaken when a pair of foster youth are targeted and taken by a sex trafficking ring. A daring rescue is mounted, but will it be to late?” the film’s IMDB page reads.

Craig’s fight to help end human trafficking began when her oldest daughter was 16-years-old and heard about an organization called “Forever Found.”

“I sat there and listened to this beautiful, articulate girl tell her story of being trafficked. And I knew that I had to do something,” Craig told us. “I wanted to bring the whole world into that room, because I thought if everyone was here they’d all feel like I did, like they had to do something. So, that was it. That was the inspiration.”

According to Guardian Group, “social media sites have allowed traffickers a faster, simpler and more effective mechanism to recruit victims.”

Technology is here to stay, and it poses a great threat to the youth of the world if not monitored properly.

“One of the things we have to realize is trafficking is happening in every neighborhood in America. Kids are being exploited and exploited on social media. And they’re also exploiting themselves on social media. They’re also being groomed,” Craig said. “So, kids that are seven-years-old can be playing a game at home and they don’t know who they’re playing against.”

Craig advises parents and/or parental figures to avoid shaming their children and impressionable family members.

“We need to remember that shame traps people, and if we don’t keep open discussions with our kids, then they won’t have the freedom to tell us when they have something bad happen,” she explained.

We also spoke to several actors from the film.

O’Shay Neal plays the role of villainous trafficker, Ian.

Neal told us that the role of Ian, who was a foster kid turned trafficker, was meant for him.

“I was in foster care for like two years, so right when I knew what the film was about… I was like, ‘Janet you gotta cast me. You gotta cast me,” Neal excitedly told us.

I asked Neal if he had ever heard or seen human trafficking happen while he was in foster care.

“They split our family up and some of the things that we were hearing was yeah, that little girls were being taken advantage of. So, when they split me and my sister up, it was like ‘NOOOO.’ That was one of the things me and my family was worried about the most,” Neal revealed.

A constant thought on Neal’s mind was, “I hope she’s not being taken advantage of, I hope she’s not being molested.”

“It’s a real big deal. It touched me for real,” he said.

Tori Griffith plays the role of “Grace,” a foster child who is adopted by a well-to-do family and taken in by sex traffickers at a party.

She hopes “Wake Up” will wake people up to the fact that human trafficking can happen to anyone.

“I really just hope that it makes people realize is that it can happen to anybody, and anybody could technically be a trafficker. Even the nicest person next door. Who knows what they’re in to,” Griffith told us. “Be careful and be guarded.”

If you’d like to support organizations working to end human trafficking you may check some of them out here: Forever Found, Raising Hope and Ending The Game.