Fighting Human Trafficking In Maine With Coffee

MAINE, Maine — Federal authorities say Maine is considered a “source” state for human traffickers from Boston and New York, who prey on women and children struggling with poverty, family turmoil, sexual abuse, or drug addiction.

An estimated 200 to 300 people are trafficked for sex every year, according to a study commissioned for the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

A Windham man hopes to empower consumers to help fight human trafficking in our state by tapping into the country’s multi-billion-dollar ground coffee market.

As a father of two, Anthony McKeown will never forget how he felt when he saw images of child victims of human trafficking.

“It just gnawed at me, it just gnawed at me,” McKeown said.

According to the U.S. State Department, more than half of criminal human trafficking involves children and a very very small percentage of these children are rescued.

Read the full story by Vivien Leigh on News Center Maine.

Category: Arts and Creative Activism, Corporate Responsibility