Trafficking rarely begins with force. It often begins with a need. Understanding how traffickers exploit basic human needs can help families and communities recognize risks and protect vulnerable children.

After attending a screening of Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story at Penn State Abington, I left with more questions than answers. The evening included a live virtual conversation with Cyntoia Brown Long and sparked reflections on justice, trauma, consent, and the ways people can grow beyond the worst moments of their lives. It also brought back personal memories from my own teenage years working in a juvenile detention center and the questions I carried then about why some kids ended up behind locked doors while others did not.