Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry and the second-largest criminal enterprise in the world. Human traffickers supply males and females to their customers for sex, labor, ritual practices, or organ harvesting. Sexual exploitation makes up 66% of global profits in human trafficking. According to a report in 2017 by the State Department Trafficking in Persons, there were only 14,894 prosecutions and 9,071 convictions of human traffickers.
There are no restrictions to places a trafficker will shop for their victims. Malls, schools, after-school activities, the gym, workplace, dating apps, houses of worship, foster homes, camps, sporting events, theme parks, concerts, social media, and chat rooms are examples of venues human traffickers target when seeking victims. Even neighbors, relatives, and friends can put an individual at risk of getting trapped into human trafficking. It can occur in any demographic, race, gender, or nationality. Females make up 70% of those trafficked. Young girls, (under 18) make up 28% of sex trafficking victims. Traffickers will use fraud, coercion, force, money or play a love interest to get adults and children to comply. A study from the Department of Health and Human Services estimated between 240,000 and 325,000 individuals in the U.S. are trafficked each year. However, this study did not consider the estimated 8% of individuals that have been trafficked but were never reported missing, those who have fallen through the cracks of social services, are considered runaways including adults thought to have left their home on their own accord. There is no central database that law enforcement, social services, and NGOs (non-government agencies) enter information. Therefore, any statistics that we see will not accurately reflect the numbers of individuals that have been trafficked.
Sex trafficking has increased exponentially with the dominance of the internet, social media, dating apps and online pornography. Victims are often used in the porn industry. There are online services that will charge a membership fee where members are able to browse its online catalog and purchase sex. Code words are used in the catalog system to specify preference as to age, size, gender, etc. that a shopper is looking to purchase. Hotels and motels are major venues for sex trafficking. Strip malls and office buildings may have what appears to be a vacant unit but is being used as a brothel of sorts where customers will come to have an encounter with a trafficked victim. Traffickers can also rent a home or apartment to use as its base for customers to come for an encounter. Major sporting events such as the Superbowl can see upwards of 10,000 trafficked victims being marketed to fans who have come to town for the big game.
Victims who have been smuggled from other countries and brought to the US with the promise of a better life may find themselves indebted to a pimp or organized crime syndicate to pay off their freedom debt. An estimated 24.9 million people are indebted for their freedom. This is a very significant problem in the U.S.
A human trafficking case Prodigy Investigative Group conducted in 2018 involved a 14-year-old female that was being “courted” on social media by a handsome young boy who claimed to be 17 from Texas. The boy told the girl that his father had passed and his stepmother had abandoned him and his 2-year-old half-brother and he was now living with his grandmother. This is a typical backstory used to gain compassion and sympathy from potential victims. For over 2 months the boy texted, called, and face time with the girl giving the illusion he was interested romantically. He expressed his interest in meeting her in person and talked of flying to Florida to see her. He asked for her address saying he wanted to send her a gift. Prearranged, the girl provided the address which belonged to Prodigy Investigative Group. The boy sent sneakers and a bracelet. The sneakers proved to have a GPS tracking device in them. There was an upcoming Halloween festival that drew thousands of people at the South Florida Fairgrounds where the boy said he would fly in and meet her at. He instructed her to wear the sneakers and bracelet so he could readily know who she was when he arrived. This is a perfect setting to kidnap someone. Her screams would have gone unnoticed among all the others who were touring the haunted houses and if she was drugged and was being escorted out, it would have been assumed she consumed too much alcohol and was intoxicated and in need of assistance in walking. Because this parent was attentive to their child’s associations and activities and contacted a private investigator to investigate this girl was spared from being a victim of human trafficking.
Precautions Against Being A Victim of Human Trafficking
There is no full proof lifestyle that will guarantee you or a loved one will not be a victim of human trafficking. There are several steps you can take to ensure you are taking the best measures to prevent it.
- Allow 3 friends or family members to track your phone via GPS. You should allow them access at all times but at the very minimum grant them access when you venture out alone, meeting a new friend, planning a trip, or going on a “date”. The first thing a trafficker will do is take your phone and allowing friends or family to track your phone will give law
- Purchase a wearable item such as a bracelet, watch or necklace that has a GPS tracker on it. These can be purchased online or at some spy stores. A wearable item has far less chance of being removed by a trafficker immediately. This allows for better leads to an individual’s location.
- Know your surroundings and the people you associate with. Always be on guard when meeting new people who seem to be overly friendly, engaging or too enthusiastic to develop a new friendship or romance.
- Avoiding walking alone.
- Be vigilant of your surroundings.
- Act swiftly if you are suspicious.
- Do not trust easily.
- Trust your instincts.
- When meeting someone for the first couple months always meet in a public place and be sure your GPS tracker is on.
If you suspect someone of participating as a groomer, recruiter or trafficker please contact your local FBI office if you have proof or call Prodigy Investigative Group to conduct an investigation to obtain the evidence for a case.
Please see our blog, Safeguards In Case You Or A Loved One Goes Missing
https://deliverfund.org/2020/04/17/facts-about-human-trafficking-in-the-us
https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/human-trafficking-numbers#
https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/lang–en/index.htm