Slavery was abolished in the U.S. in 1865 when the 13th amendment was ratified and adopted into our constitution. The 13th amendment states “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude… shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” So that means slavery no longer happens in our country, right? I mean have you ever actually met a slave in your lifetime? Or a slave-owner for that matter?
As it turns out, slavery still happens in the U.S. every day under the guise of the term “Human Trafficking.” That euphemism makes it seem like it’s a crime that happens in other countries or is some crazy mafia-style thing out of a movie. It puts distance between us and what’s really going on in our own backyard.
According to The U.S. Department of State, there are currently approximately 2-4 million victims of human trafficking each year in our country. As we mentioned in a previous report, Edie Neal from FDLE stated that Florida is ranked third worst in the U.S. An employee from DCF advised me that Pasco County is among the worst counties in Florida for human trafficking. Many perpetrators prey on their victims at one of the numerous strip clubs the county has to offer. Even though Hernando County doesn’t have any strip clubs, we still have a big human trafficking problem. It’s actually closely related to the drug problem in our area, specifically Methamphetamine. One human trafficking survivor stated that her “boyfriend” and his mom sell meth and they even tried to force feed it to her.
How can you tell if someone you know is a slave? Some warning signs from the Department of Children and Families are provided below:
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DCF’s SIGNS OF EXPLOITATION
• Physical and sexual violence signs of abuse, such as: unexplained bruises, black eyes, cuts, or marks.
• Exhibit behaviors including fear, anxiety, depression, submission, tension, and/or nervousness.
• Exhibit “hyper-vigilance” or paranoid behavior.
• Sexually exploited children and youth often express interest in, or are in relationships with, adults or older men.
• Evidence of controlling or dominating relationships, including: repeated phone calls from a “boyfriend” and/or excessive concern about displeasing partner.
• Unexplained shopping trips or possession of expensive clothing, jewelry, or a cell phone could indicate the manipulation of an exploiter.
• Not in control of their own money.
• Use of lingo or slang from “the life” among peers, or referring to a boyfriend as “Daddy.”
• Secrecy about whereabouts.
• Unaccounted for time, vagueness concerning whereabouts, and/or defensiveness in response to questions or concern.
• Keeping late-night or unusual hours.
• A tattoo that he or she is reluctant to explain may the result of tattooing or branding by a pimp. Pimps and other sexual exploiters often tattoo or brand children and youth, particularly girls. Youth are commonly branded with their exploiter’s name tattooed on the neck, chest, or arms.
• Wearing sexually provocative clothing can be an indicator of sexual exploitation. But it should be noted, so as not to rely on stereotypes, that not all children in the commercial sex industry wear such clothing. Sexually provocative clothing is not a warning sign in and of itself. Wearing new clothes of any style, or getting hair or nails done with no financial means to this independently, is a more general indicator of potential sexual exploitation.
• Most sexually exploited children have been trained to lie about their age. Sometimes a child’s appearance and/or actions can contradict the information they give. Be sensitive to clues in behavior or appearance that could indicate that a child is underage.
• Personal information such as: age, name, and/or date of birth – might change with each telling of his or her story, or the information given might contradict itself.
• Has no identification or is not in control of his or her identification documents.
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As you can see, this list is very general and could just be indicative of an abusive relationship, not necessarily someone involved in Human Trafficking. If you have any questions or want to report suspicious activity you can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Next time, I’ll bring you the story of a teenage girl who survived Human Trafficking and how she got out.
https://hernandosun.com/Annie%27s_Story_033117