PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – In this week’s Sunday Spotlight, KDKA-TV shines a light on an organization that tracks down human traffickers and child predators and teaches families about the hidden dangers online.

The Asservo Project was created by a man who protected our country and the Pittsburgh community for 29 years. Joe Sweeney, his experienced staff, and graduate student volunteers are keeping people safe in western Pennsylvania and beyond.

It’s a terrifying reality. Human trafficking could be happening in your backyard. It’s an epidemic Joe Sweeney fights against daily.

“It is, right now, the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Our children are targets,” said Sweeney, the co-founder and CEO of the Asservo Project.

Sweeney is a former Pittsburgh police SWAT operator, bomb squad commander, and U.S. government explosive security specialist.

While serving in the Middle East for anti-terrorism programs as a government contractor, he became aware of horrifying cases of child kidnapping and trafficking. A colleague asked him if he’d want to assist in rescuing children in South America.

After Sweeney returned to Pittsburgh, he and his wife, Sue, created the Asservo Project in 2017.

“It sent me down the path of research on missing American children. It was really quite dead simple. So, after about seven, eight months of research, the numbers literally blew me away,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney recruited a team of law enforcement and military experts for his 501c3 nonprofit.

“They all basically had the same story. They said, ‘Joe, we just don’t have the manpower and budgets to keep up with the cases,’ and they’re very complex and take a lot of time. So, that’s what started driving the model of the Asservo Project. To support law enforcement with some of the heavy lifting that it takes to identify predators and vet the information,” said Sweeney.

It’s reported that 27.6 million people worldwide are victims of sex trafficking or forced labor. It’s estimated between two and three million kids are victims a year. The Department of Homeland Security reports that trafficking globally generates an estimated $150 billion in profits. 

Sweeney said all of these statistics are underreported. 

“We’ve rescued five kids in Uganda; two of them were actually kidnapped on their way to school, forced in labor camps, as well as abused, but right now, the five we have, we have them all in schools, we pay their tuition, their books, their uniforms, their pens, their pencils, medicines, their lodging. We’ve also rescued an American girl out of Mexico,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney said his team works tirelessly to hunt down traffickers and predators through surveillance and evidence work.

They have graduate student volunteers and experienced staff, including analysts who identify people online looking to target children, both here in Pittsburgh and all over western Pennsylvania.

“Cases in the United States… I’ve lost count, dozens and dozens and dozens, referrals,” Sweeney said.

Their goal is to get justice after handing cases over to law enforcement. So far, his team has engaged with up to 200 predators.

“They can identify certain trends and tradecraft of these people who are posing to be young, yet there are indicators to see that that’s probably a fake profile, and they’re trying to master identity. That’s where it starts, then from there, once we can corroborate all the information and evidence, then we speak to our law enforcement partners who would have the jurisdiction in that particular area,” he said. 

Sweeney said it’s important to understand that predators hide in plain sight on social media.

“They would identify vulnerabilities; they would gather personal information on these kids, and then as they befriended them, and I come from a different generation, they actually have a relationship online even though they’ve never met, then of course, they share things they shouldn’t, they share explicit photos and videos, and then that’s where the manipulation, what we call ‘sextortion’ starts,” Sweeney said.

The organization hosts seminars for schools and community groups to educate kids and adults on the dangers of online communications.

Sweeney said they’ve spoken to thousands of students.

“We present to them all the dangers; we also have some curriculum where it’s really testimonial of other kids in the United States that have been victimized,” he said.

He advises parents to be involved in their child’s social media and watch for changes in behavior.

Sweeney asks the community to join them in sharing awareness and supporting the Asservo Project.

“This is a passion and a mission now of something bigger than they ever were in their careers, now that we’ve seen the numbers and the lack of initiative that’s being done, to be quite frank, so it feels good,” he said.

If you’re a victim or you’re concerned about someone who may be a victim or a predator, you can call the Asservo national tip line at 877-SAVE-994.

Sweeney said they’re not going to stop as they intend to move the needle to protect children.

“It’s growing to help more kids, hold more predators accountable, educate more kids, and offer more resources for the victims that have been victimized by these predators,” Sweeney said.

You can learn more about the Asservo Project on the organization’s website.

The organization has several events coming up, which can be found on its website, too, including the Barefoot Mile at Robert Morris University on Sept. 30, 2023, which is held in partnership with Joy International.

The Asservo Project’s newest campaign allows people to help by donating $14 a month, as the average age for a child to be trafficked is 14.

You can reach out to the Asservo Project or contribute to their website. Donations go toward their technology for investigations and care for children they’ve rescued abroad.