According to Director of Juvenile Court Services for Yavapai County Scott Maberry, many people express confusion when he brings up the subject of human trafficking in the county.

“You get some people who say, ‘I had no idea that was an issue here,’” Maberry said. Such ignorance is impossible in the juvenile court system, where Maberry and his peers see the effects of human trafficking first-hand. Hearing about the exploitation of children is a sobering education, as Maberry readily admitted, but it produced positive results in the way of education.

“Nursery Rhymes with Daddies,” a song about fathers talking to their daughters about the dangers of a changing world, was inspired both by Maberry’s own daughters and the children he grew to know in the juvenile court system. Having sang the song in a music therapy session with juveniles in the court system, the staff members of the Juvenile Justice Center felt that the song had the potential to raise awareness.

Thus, the Nursery Rhymes Video project was born: “It’s been our work for the last three months to get this going,” Maberry said, adding that to date every law enforcement agency in Yavapai County has signed declarations of support to educating their communities about the dangers of human trafficking. Individuals and organizations throughout the county have provided their time, money and resources to helping Maberry produce the song and educational music video.

Now, Maberry said, “It’s just grown legs of its own.”

Music production began in December. The first scenes of the video began shooting later that month. More than half the scenes of the video are being shot in Clarkdale, with a culminating scene planned for Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Juvenile Justice Center in Prescott.

“While there are numerous forms of human trafficking, the Nursery Rhymes Video will focus on sex trafficking of the youth of our
communities,” Clarkdale Town Manager Gayle Maberry — coincidentally, Scott Maberry’s wife — said in her proclamation to the Town Council Tuesday, Jan. 26. “As word of the project began to gain statewide attention, more and more interest was expressed in getting the music produced and developing a video to assist with public awareness on the issue.

“An incredible team of local professionals and community members has come together around the cause.”

According to Scott Maberry, the first goal is to have the video ready for release in April to coincide with Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The second goal is simply to inspire juveniles in the court system: “Maybe it sparks a career for them or provides some positivity in their lives — that’s the focus.”