By Sherry Larson
People’s Defender
What is human trafficking? The definition is the exploitation of one individual for another individual’s financial gain. Anyone who is forced to do something for someone else’s profit. The human trafficking Protection Act of 2000 identifies a three-element framework: acts (what’s done), means (how it’s done), and purpose (why it’s done). According to humantraffickinghotline.org, “Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age. Labor trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.”
Beth Bullock, the Executive Director of Brave Choices, is a certified Trauma Practitioner and Victim Advocate. Bullock facilitated the Human Trafficking training at the West Union Firehouse on February 24. She and her husband, Rob started this organization about seven years ago after their oldest son, Robbie, died from a heroin overdose. Bullock said that she and her husband thought they knew about drug addiction, but they learned more about the science following Robbie’s death. They discovered the connection with trauma and how drug addiction wasn’t something someone could easily leave. They also learned that people in addiction are easy targets for human traffickers who are master manipulators ready to jump on economic opportunities.
Bullock shared a quote by trafficking survivor Shandra Woworuntu, “We urgently need to educate Americans about this subject. Looking back on my own experiences, I think all those casino and hotel workers must have known what was going on. And that brothel in Brooklyn was a residential area – did the neighbors never stop to ask why an endless stream of men came to the house, night and day?”
“How do people not see what is going on in plain sight? Do they even know what to look for?” The Coalition for a Drug-Free Adams County wants to ensure that local agencies obtain training to identify the red flags of human trafficking. The hope is to come together and develop a protocol for findings on possible trafficking situations.
Bullock shared a story about a young lady from a nearby county in her early 20s who is now in prison. She was molested by her father, starting at the age of five. Both of her parents were addicts. When she was 14 years old, she gave birth to her father’s child. She was continually used for sex to pay for her parents’ drug habit. Now she is in prison and pregnant with her fifth child. She is a complete traumatic mess. A vulnerable little girl caught in a world of addiction and manipulation forced to have sex -this is human trafficking. Bullock said, “This is the real stuff that nobody’s talking about.”
Traffickers are masters at fraud and sharp at spotting vulnerability. Many teenagers are vulnerable, especially if they come from a challenging home life or a situation where they feel like they don’t belong, and a trafficker’s job is to get them to trust them and think they are friends.
If you know someone in a domestic violence situation, who keeps going back, you are familiar with coercion control. If a person feels that they deserve their mistreatment, that is coercion. Also, when someone is being prostituted and is convinced that their trafficker is the only one who will take care of them. If they “mess up,” they are reprimanded but excuse it away as their fault. We must remember that these victims do not see things the way we see them. We may think they don’t have to live this way, and there is a way out, but they focus on getting back to their tormentors, so they don’t get punished. This reaction is a part of their trauma.
Often victims are forced to steal, do drugs, and lie. These actions may be entirely out of character, but they are scared and trying to survive. Many girls have been gang-raped, beaten, and badly abused. They end up in the system. They are often frightened and defensive. They, too, have learned to manipulate, which makes those trying to help frustrated and confused. The question remains – how can we help? We need to start a conversation that leads to the trouble and the trauma.
Human trafficking statistics are skewed because they are pulled from a database based on reporting, and we know there is not enough reporting. Many women have open warrants and active cases with children’s services. They are afraid and do not report to law enforcement. Statistics provided by polarisproject.org indicate 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally. 75% of that is labor trafficking, and 25% is sex trafficking. There are Two hundred thousand people in the U.S. enslaved, and Ohio is named #4/5 in the country due to highway access and neighboring Canada.
It is easier than ever to fall victim to human trafficking. Traffickers use the internet, applications, and video games to recruit victims. Numerous websites sell women and children. Parents need to educate themselves and talk to their children. Some of the things mentioned to look for in children were too much time spent on the phone or computer, behavioral changes like depression, spending time away from home, having unexplainable money, and hanging with older friends, male or female.
Trafficking is a high-dollar industry that brings in $150 billion a year with very low risk. Anyone can be a victim. Many foreign nationals are labor trafficked but also engage in commercial sex activity. We must consider a person’s mindset who allows someone to control them. Think of their trauma. They come to this country with the promise of the American dream. They think they can send money back home to help care for their family. Most foreign nationals are here to find a better life. Then they have their passport, cash, and other ID confiscated. They can’t trust law enforcement from the country they came from, and there is often a language barrier. They don’t know who to trust and become stuck in an ideal situation for a trafficker to use fear and control them. They can virtually make that person do anything they want.
Children in our foster system are vulnerable due to trauma. Many have experienced physical and sexual abuse. Bullock spoke of children who have lost all hope. Then they age out of the system with no place to go unless they can stay in their foster situation. So, they do what they must to survive, and they get into trouble and end up in the court system. These folks are easy to coerce, even more so if they are active in addiction. They will do anything for a fix. Predators know who to target.
Traffickers are expert groomers. They form an emotional bond and trust. An example could be a situation when one person is significantly older than the other, like a high school student groomed by a 30-year-old. Often the predator notes a susceptibility in their target and capitalizes on it. Little by little, the conversation turns into a sexual nature. Everyone wants to feel loved. The goal of the groomer is to make you feel loved – they are a true friend. One device predators use to interact with kids is sending explicit photos of themselves. This tactic is an attempt to beat down the resistance to normalizing what they are trying to do. They also try to turn that person away from anyone who might help them.
As stated, trafficking is high profit and low risk. Why? High yield because of the money generated and low risk because most victims aren’t willing to testify or if they do, they won’t see it through prosecution or conviction. The victim is too terrified. There is little risk with the digital age of cash apps because money transfers from one account to another. How can you prove the use of the money? Arrangements happen through a website. There are success stories where a person gets out of trafficking, but the chances of that person testifying against their perpetrator are slim.
Bullock talked about looking at the root cause of how someone gets trafficked. Often trauma plays a huge part. Trauma is an experience of terror or fear, and it doesn’t have to stem from anything horrible but can still be a big deal. Trauma triggers a fight or flight response. It’s important to address because it physically reroutes the neuro pathways in your brain. Suppose someone has lived in a constant state of neglect or abuse – that becomes normal. Situations we may see as a mess are typical for them. When we see folks in the system, again and again, it’s because they are in a trauma cycle, and they are responding accordingly. Of course, there are consequences for their actions.
Bullock discussed some red flags that often go along with trafficking. Is a person not coming and going as they please? Are they working excessive hours, answering to a pimp, being transported to work locations, or getting little to no pay? We should look for high-security measures where they live or work, physical injury or signs of abuse, minors engaged in sexual activity, and unexplained shopping trips with extravagant gifts. There may be abnormal behavior like fear or anxiousness, frightened of law enforcement, avoidance of eye contact, and reluctance to explain a tattoo (it is common for traffickers to brand their victims). A trafficked individual may present dirty, lacking medical care, malnourished, showing signs of physical restraint and abuse. Victims will likely have little control over their possessions, and someone will often speak on their behalf. Many will have multiple cell phones. They may be unable to provide a living address and regularly lose their sense of time. Their stories are frequently inconsistent.
Numbers you can call when you see red flags include: Homeland Security Blue Campaign 1-866-347-2423, local law enforcement, YWCA, Local Human Trafficking Coalition, National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.
Bullock’s organization is Brave Choices, Brave Voices: Speaking for those who can’t speak for themselves. Bullock’s business card reads, “Your voice can change your world!” If you notice a red flag, start a conversation – it could save a life! Contact her at 513-212-8176.