Human Trafficking What You Need to Know Presented by Palm Beach County Department of Public Safety, Division of Victim Services and the Human Trafficking Coalition of the Palm Beaches
What is Human Trafficking?
“Despite more than a dozen international conventions banning slavery in the past 150 years, there are more slaves today than at any point in human history.” TIME Magazine Jan. 2010
Federal Law The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 Outlines Trafficking under 2 Headings: Sex Trafficking Labor Trafficking
Human trafficking is a crime against a person. It does not have to involve travel, transportation or border crossings. Sex Trafficking Labor Trafficking • the recruitment, harboring, • the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, transportation, provision, or obtaining, patronizing, or obtaining of a person for labor or soliciting of a person for the services through the use of force , purpose of a commercial sex fraud , or coercion for the act, in which the commercial purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, sex act is induced by force, debt bondage, or slavery. (22 USC fraud, or coercion or in § 7102) which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age. (22 USC § 7102)
Florida Law: Florida Statute § 787.06 Defines Human Trafficking The transporting, soliciting, recruiting, harboring, providing, enticing, maintaining, or obtaining another person for the purpose of exploitation of that person.
Control Mechanisms • Force: rape, beatings, confinement, physical restraints, torture, denies food/water, continuously moves victims to unfamiliar places, induces drug addiction • Fraud: false offers of employment, promises of marriage, educational opportunities, fame, money, a better life • Coercion: t hreats of harm to victim or victim’s family members, debt bondage, abuse of legal process, threat of arrest or deportation, intimidation & humiliation, blames victim for trafficking situation, convinces victim the trafficker is the only one that really cares
SMUGGL ING VS. T R AF F ICKING Wha t’ s the Diffe re nc e ?
Smuggling vs. T r affic king Smug g ling involve s T ra nsporta tion T ra ffic king involve s E xploita tion • F a c ilita tio n, tra nsp o rta tio n, a tte mp te d • Do e s no t re q uire the c ro ssing o f a n tra nsp o rta tio n, o r ille g a l e ntry o f a p e rso n(s) inte rna tio na l b o rd e r a c ro ss a n inte rna tio na l b o rd e r • Do e s no t re q uire the tra nspo rta tio n o f • Ma y o r ma y no t ha ve a c o ntinue d re la tio nship vic tims fro m o ne lo c a le to a no the r with smug g le r/ ”c o yo te ” a fte r a rriving in the d e stina tio n c o untry • Co ntinue d re la tio nship with tra ffic ke r(s) • T he smug g le d p e rso n(s) g e ne ra lly c o nse nt a nd o fte n p a y la rg e sums o f mo ne y • Inc lud e s e le me nts o f fo rc e , fra ud , a nd / o r c o e rc io n • It is p o ssib le fo r smug g le d p e rso ns to b e c o me a tra ffic king vic tim
Case E xample One Sonia wa s invite d to c ome to the Unite d Sta te s by fa mily frie nds. She wa s told she c ould work a s a house ke e pe r a nd the y told he r the y would pa y he r $100 pe r we e k. Sonia wa s provide d fra udule nt doc ume nts a nd de pa rte d for the US with he r ne w e mploye r. She kne w she wa s undoc ume nte d but she ne e de d the mone y a nd wa s willing to ta ke the risk. Was So nia smuggle d o r traffic ke d?
Case E xample One Sonia wa s smuggle d into the Unite d Sta te s. She le ft willing ly with full knowle dg e tha t she wa s e nte ring the Unite d Sta te s undoc ume nte d.
Case E xample T wo L oc a l la w e nforc e me nt a uthoritie s e xe c ute d a se a rc h wa rra nt a t a brothe l a nd a rre ste d thre e 17- ye a r- old g irls for prostitution. T he De pa rtme nt of Childre n a nd F a milie s (DCF ) notifie d De pa rtme nt of Home la nd Se c urity Inve stig a tions (forme rly ICE ) c onc e rning the immig ra tion sta tus of the thre e g irls. We r e the gir ls smuggle d o r tr affic ke d?
Case E xample T wo T he g irls we re traffic ke d into the Unite d Sta te s. In c a se s whe re vic tims a re a g e 17 a nd unde r, forc e , fra ud, a nd/ or c oe rc ion doe s not ha ve to e xist in c omme rc ia l e xploita tion c a se s.
Case E xample T hr ee A woma n from out- of- sta te wa s offe re d a fre e va c a tion to Disne y World by a n a c qua inta nc e . She a c c e pte d the offe r. Onc e she a rrive d, she wa s forc e d to ha ve se x with stra ng e rs for mone y. Was she smuggle d o r traffic ke d?
Case E xample T hr ee She wa s tr affic ke d be c a use she wa s lure d to F lorida fra udule ntly the n forc e d into prostitution.
The Dynamics of Human Trafficking
Who Are the Victims? General Vulnerabilities Vulnerable Youth Poverty Physically/Sexually Lack of Education Abused Poor Employment Neglected Opportunities Abandoned Prior Childhood Abuse Homeless Homelessness LGBTQ Disability Runaways LGBTQ Disabled Foreign Born/No Permanent History of Foster Care Residency Involvement History of Juvenile Justice Involvement
Who are Traffickers? • Traffickers can be a one person operation, a family enterprise, a loose network of criminals, a local gang, or a large scale organized crime syndicate that operates internationally. • There is no typical trafficker. While females comprise the majority of trafficked victims, the 2014 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons noted 30% of convicted traffickers worldwide between 2010 – 2012 were women. (Human Rights First Fact Sheet: June 2014 Background Brief: Who are Human Traffickers?)
T he T op Ve nue s/ Industrie s for T ra ffic king he a lth a nd se x tra ffic king b e a uty sex trafficking agriculture health & beauty tra ve ling sa le s c re ws traveling Restaurants & domestic sales crews food service servitude
HUMAN T R AF F ICKING: T HE NUMBE R S Sta tistic a l Ove rvie w
Inte r national Statistic s • 20.9 million pe ople a re e stima te d to be tra ffic ke d a round the world a t a ny g ive n time • T ra ffic king is now e stima te d to be a $150 billion dolla r a nnua l busine ss (Inte rna tiona l L a bor Org a niza tion 2014 re port)
20,612,439 Population (2017 US Census Bureau est.) The number of people trafficked in the world is about equal to the total population of Florida.
In the US • 73% of hotlines calls in 2016 were sex trafficking, 14% were labor trafficking, 9% were not specified, 4% were sex and labor. • 84% were female, 13% were male • 65% were adults, 32% were minors • Of those callers identifying citizenship, 59% were US citizens or legal permanent residents.
• Florida is ranked 3 rd F lor ida State in the nation for Statistic s reported call volume to the National Human Trafficking Hotline • Palm Beach County is ranked 3 rd in the state for reported call volume to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
Why Palm Beach County? • Thriving Agricultural Industry • Thriving Tourism Industry • PBIA Serves Over 6 Million Travelers Annually • Proximity to Miami International Airport • Includes 47 miles of Atlantic Coastline • Includes a Diverse Demographic • Extensive Highway Systems
What are the warning signs?
Work and Living Conditions • Owes a large debt and is unable to • Is not free to leave or come and go as he/she wishes pay it off • Is under 18 and is providing commercial sex acts • Was recruited through false • Is in the commercial sex industry and has a pimp / promises concerning the nature manager and conditions of his/her work • Is unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips • High security measures exist in the work and/or living locations • Works excessively long and/or unusual hours (e.g. opaque windows, boarded up windows, bars on windows, • Is not allowed breaks or suffers under unusual barbed wire, security cameras, restrictions at work etc.) • Living at place of employment • Lives with multiple people in cramped space
Behavioral Signs People who are trafficked may: • Show fear or anxiety • Seem depressed, intimidated, submissive, tense, nervous, or paranoid • Become unusually fearful or anxious after bringing up law enforcement or are distrustful of authorities • Avoid eye contact or lack emotional responsiveness • Act as if someone else instructed them, give responses that seem scripted or rehearsed • Allow others to speak for them or are accompanied by a group or a controlling friend or boyfriend who speaks for them • Resist assistance
Physical Signs People who are trafficked may: • Appear malnourished • Shows signs of physical abuse such as bruises, scratches, scars, missing teeth, lacerations, burns, carvings • Lack health care and have rotten teeth • Be dressed inappropriately for the weather or venue • Have tattoos or other forms of branding usually on the neck or lower back. Tattoos may say “Daddy” or “Property of” or “For Sale”
Tattoos
Recommend
More recommend
