By Alexandra Laurence | LTVN Reporter
Last week during the journalism department exam, we had a speaker come talk to us about the child advocacy center. Dr. Kerry Burkley opened my eyes to the abuse children and teens face around Waco.
Burkley said one in three girls or one in six boys will be a victim of an attempt by their 18th birthday. Those alarming statistics shook me to my core. I started not only to think about child abuse, but about perpetration against college girls as well.
It seems like every few weeks or so, we get an off campus alert of something bad happening. An assault, stolen vehicle or even an alleged kidnapping. Baylor students have a target on our back whether we know it or not. For many, this is our first time living away from home which makes us vulnerable and puts us at an increased risk.
Whether we realize it or not, human trafficking is very common in the United States and Baylor is right next to I-35 — a major interstate that runs all the way from Mexico to Canada.
We need to be vigilant when we are off campus. Sharing too much on social media like our location, our future plans or vacations can be so dangerous when people know we are alone in college. Especially when perpetrators know there is a house full of girls.
Because this world is so dangerous, if you see something, say something. My roommates and I keep each other in the know when we see anything out of the ordinary around our house.
Any unfamiliar car parked outside? Text the group chat. Any unfamiliar person at the door? Text your roommates to see if they know who it is. A roommate who isn’t home when they normally are? Check their location.
With the recent events happening like the future Baylor Acrobatics and Tumbling athlete being shot for her friend accidentally opening the wrong door, or the teenager who was shot because he rang the wrong doorbell. We need to be even more vigilant and careful.
Like I said earlier, college students are easy, vulnerable targets. Spread factual information to your friends so they won’t be the next victim. Burkley said it is a dangerous world because some people have dangerous intentions. That quote really stuck with me.
Sometimes I think, “oh well that won’t ever happen to me.” But that is just not realistic.
Educate yourself on phony sex trafficking schemes. Educate yourself on who your neighbors are. Keep an eye out for them. Educate yourself on what you would, should do if you found yourself in a dangerous situation. Educate yourself on the resources Baylor provides. Have a plan and be aware.
