It’s difficult to accept, when we’re going about our normal, day-to-day lives, that something as horrific and appalling as sex trafficking exists all around us. Unfortunately, it’s not something that only applies to third-world countries or high crime neighborhoods.
It’s estimated that 50,o00 people are trafficked to the US every year, and many of them end up living alongside the rest of us, while we remain blissfully aware of their terrifying situation.
One mailman in California realized just how present human trafficking is among us when his normal delivery shift took a completely unexpected turn.
Ivan Crisostomo was driving his postal route in Sacramento in June 2018. He stopped to make a delivery and climbed out of his truck – and that’s when he heard the crying.
When he approached the sound, he saw a young girl cowering behind the bushes. It would later transpire that this was 16-year-old Crystal Allen, and that she’d been sex trafficked.
Ivan could see that Crystal was shaking, and he approached her to ask if she was okay. Crystal seemed incredibly distressed, and told him that they were “putting things in me”, pointing to her arm. She then added something truly terrifying:
“They are coming to get me.”
In that moment, Ivan knew that he had stumbled across a dangerous situation, and that he needed to act now. Crystal was desperate to call her mom, and Ivan helped her to do so. In an interview with KPIX, Crystal’s mom recalled the phone call, saying:
“She was frantic. I didn’t know what was going on. I couldn’t even talk to her, she was that upset.”
Crystal gave the phone to Ivan, who promised Crystal’s mom that he would stay with her and get her to safety.
And he stuck to his word, letting Crystal sit in his postal truck until the cops arrived.
As it turned out, Crystal had been kidnapped and held captive after being lured to Sacramento by someone she thought was a friend. She became trapped in a world of drugs and sex trafficking, and was repeatedly drugged and abused.
Crystal only managed to escape when she was in the car with her two captors in the Oak Park neighborhood. She jumped out of the car, grabbed one of the men’s phones, and ran for her life. It was Ivan’s help that she was able to call her mom to explain what had happened.
Ivan might have stumbled across a completely unexpected situation, but his quick thinking and willingness to protect Crystal might just have saved her life.
He had no idea of the danger he was putting himself in by allying himself with her, but the most important thing to him was that the young girl was rescued and taken into safety.
Speaking about the postal worker’s bravery, Deputy David Cuneo of Sacramento County Sherrif’s Department said:
“What Ivan did was wonderful. He stepped up where a lot of people would have just continued driving down the road, and he made a huge positive impact on this young girl’s life.”
If you have any reason to suspect human trafficking, don’t hesitate to call the police on 911.
In non-emergency situations, you can also call the human trafficking hotline on 1-888-373-7888. More information can be found on the official website.
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