BRANSON, Mo.-- More than 110 human trafficking cases were reported in Missouri in 2019.

Survivors of human trafficking say it's important to speak out about the abuse.

"It felt like I was dead inside like I didn't feel like a human being," said a survivor of human trafficking.

This woman, who has asked to remain anonymous, says she is a survivor of human trafficking. She was six years old when the abuse started. She says her own grandfather sold her and her sister to his brothers and friends for ten years.

"If we didn't come home with the agreed amount, we would be beaten for it," said the survivor.

She wants people to know there are signs to look out for when it comes to spotting victims.

"When you are going through something like that, you are really secluded you don't really talk to anybody because you're scared. there is a lot of physical abuse involved, it's not just sexual," said the survivor.

Tim Easton educates the community about human trafficking through his awareness and prevention course. He says this type of crime does happen more often in the Ozarks than one might think.

"We don't see a lot of it, because it's not obvious, a lot of it is done on-line," said Easton.

Human Trafficking is considered a form of modern slavery in which a person is sold for sex, work, or both. Easton says perpetrators don't discriminate when it comes to picking their victims.

"They are promised money, fancy clothes, nice stuff and it doesn't turn out like that," said Easton.

Easton says it's important to be self-aware, vigilant and to learn self-defense.

"Yell, scream, and call for help," said Easton.

And if you are a victim of this abuse, the survivor says the best way to get help is to find the courage to speak out.

For more information, click here.

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Safety experts educate on human trafficking in the Ozarks - KY3