08/25/2026
What happens when the person exploiting a child is also the person they've been taught to trust?
In this powerful episode of The 411 Live, host Beverly Taylor sits down with Dr. Debbie Lassiter, Executive Director and co-founder of Convergence Resource Center, for a difficult but necessary conversation about Interfamilial Trafficking trafficking, the exploitation of children by parents, relatives, siblings, or other family members.
One reason this abuse can remain hidden is especially disturbing: a child may not realize that what is happening to them is abuse. When exploitation begins at a very young age, the behavior can become normalized within the family.
Dr. Lassiter discusses how grooming, fear, loyalty, trauma, and family dynamics can make it extremely difficult for victims to disclose what's happening. She also challenges common assumptions about what trafficking victims, traffickers, and buyers "look like."
The conversation also previews The Epidemic in the Game, an awareness event from Convergence Resource Center focused this year on Interfamilial Trafficking and featuring a survivor sharing her lived experience.
Key Moments:
• What Interfamilial Trafficking actually means
• Why children may not recognize that they're being exploited
• How grooming can make abuse seem "normal"
• Warning signs adults may overlook
• Why asking the right question could change someone's life
• How broken trust can prevent survivors from seeking help
• Why trafficking can happen across communities and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Why we must challenge stereotypes about victims and traffickers
Viewer discretion: This episode discusses child sexual exploitation, abuse, trafficking, and trauma. Some descriptions may be difficult for viewers. Debbie Lassiter Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships Human Trafficking Conference Human Trafficking Institute Human Trafficking - End It Human Rights Campaign
