Children For Sale

Many people argue that World War II helped shape child trafficking in the U.S. as it is known today. As the war raged through the country, it tore families and businesses apart, some of which never regained stability. When the war ended in 1945, sparse food and supplies combined with financial loss affected many families.

Jobs were also sparse in those days. Factories shut down left and right and families were forced to take desperate measures to survive. It’s estimated that more than 5,000 children were “sold” by their parents in the years after the war ended.

Children For Sale

One such account of parents selling their kids is that of Lucille Chalifoux. In August 1948, the 24-year-old mother photographed her four children on the front porch of their Chicago home with a sign in front of them reading “Children For Sale.” Beside the porch was a pregnant woman hiding her face in embarrassment. Some thought the photo was a mere hoax; what parent would actually sell their kids?

It wasn’t a hoax or cruel joke. Chalifoux placed the photograph in a local newspaper called The Valparaiso Vidette-Messenger on August 5, 1948, listing the kid's ages and a sad text explaining she and her husband Roy, a former coal truck driver, were jobless and soon to be evicted, thus unable to care for the children any longer.

Strangers Reach Out to Offer Their Help

The photograph touched the hearts of many. Soon, it made its rounds to New York and Texas. Numerous people reached out to help Chalifoux, sending her money and offering to care for the four kids. It;s unclear how Chalifoux spent the money but within two years, all four of the kids plus the child she was pregnant with at the time the photo was taken, were all sold to the highest bidder.

Many families faced the same tribulations as Lucille and Roy. They sold their kids off to the highest bidder, oftentimes receiving small sums of money as poor farmers purchased the kids to use as farm hands. That’s exactly what happened to the Chalifoux children.

Lucille Sells Her Children

John and Ruth Zoetman, local farmers, purchased the oldest child, 7-year-old RaeAnn for $2. Her brother, Milton, screamed for his sister and the Zoetman family took him along as well. The couple did not offer additional money to the Chalifoux family for Milton. The couple renamed the kids Beverly and Kenneth.

The Zoetmans were anything but the ideal parents. They starved and abused the kids and often referred to Milton as their “slave.”

Bedford led a fairly decent life after he was sold at age 2. At the time the McDaniels purchased Bedford, his body was covered in tiny bites. The religious family renamed him Daniel. He was allowed to keep in contact with RaeAnn and Milton as they lived down the road.

At age 17, RaeAnn was kidnapped from her adoptive family’s home and raped. The rape resulted in a pregnancy. Her religious family was mortified at the thought of their teen raising a baby and sent her to a home for unwed mothers. The baby was placed up for adoption. RaeAnn never returned to their home.

Milton experienced the same devastating upbringing as his sister RaeAnn. He was starved and beaten which caused him to become violent during his teen years. His adoptive parents sent him to live in a mental home as a result.

David, the unborn child in the photograph, ran away from his adopted parents' home at age 16. He joined the military and went on to lead a fairly good life.

Adult Children

As an adult, RaeAnn told reporters that her mother needed money to buy superficial things, not provide them with care.

Other family members claim the photo was staged to help garner sympathy.

Daniel reunited with his mother as an adult and met his four sisters, children Lucille birthed and kept after selling her first five. Daniel said his mother did not apologize but told him he looked just like his father.

The other two kids, Lana and Sue Ellen, were not located for many years after Lucille sold them. By that time, Lana had passed away (1998) but Sue Ellen was just down the road. Speaking of her biological mother Lucille, Sue Ellen said “she can go right to hell.”

More Than 5,000 Children Sold

Selling children was not legal or illegal at the time Lucille placed the ad in the paper. Many others like her sold their children and soon, scam artists began seeing kids as a form of profit. Children were kidnapped from their parents' homes simply to turn around and sell for a few dollars.

From 1936 until 1950, it's estimated that more than 50,000 children were kidnapped from their parents for the purpose of selling them to the highest bidder, giving way for the birth of child trafficking. From 1955 -1956, the US unsuccessfully attempted to ban child selling and “child brokers'' could be found across the country.

Resources & Additional Information:

https://www.economist.com/china/2013/01/26/a-cruel-trade

https://nypost.com/2013/07/14/finding-peace-in-a-life-sold-for-2/

https://tucson.com/news/local/sold-as-kids-their-lives-now-converge/article_f4fe5e61-f226-5a63-96f9-270154a02545.html