Today's guest author is Tobi Aclaro. (See related posts by Tobi Aclaro.) Tobi is a Program Manager for the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC), a non-profit focused on training, prevention and interventions related to human trafficking activities. BSCC also advocates on behalf of all exploited persons. Like many of you who follow this blog, Tobi manages programs that help educate others about complex topics. I know some of you have interest in, or affiliations with, non-profits, so I asked Tobi if she wouldn't mind writing a few posts to educate us about human trafficking and non-profits, in general. I'm glad she accepted. This is the first in a series she'll be contributing over the next few weeks. Connect with Tobi on LinkedIn here.
[Related posts by Tobi Aclaro]
I’m glad Mel gave me this chance to talk a bit about human trafficking. Often, when people hear that I work on human trafficking issues, they think that exploitation happens “overseas somewhere.” It doesn’t occur to them that it can happen here, in the US, in Southern California…even in your own back yard.
Slavery.
What is human trafficking? In a nutshell: human trafficking is modern day slavery. It’s commercial labor or sexual exploitation through force, fraud or coercion. If it’s prostitution under 18, that’s automatically human trafficking too. Children also can be sexually exploited commercially.
So how does it happen? In many ways for many reasons. In the case of someone crossing the border for example, a woman might be promised one job and forced into another job—promised a waitressing job in a restaurant, but forced into prostitution.
Or forced into debt bondage that if they take a job to pay off debts or help their family but they’re not paid as they’re promised, or forced into another job, forced into a higher debt--right into a cycle they can’t get out of.
Runaways, like US teens for example, could be lured into prostitution. They moved to a new city, or they want to follow their dreams--move to Hollywood and get a modeling job--they don’t know the area, they’re lost, and some guy comes up and offers them a great place to stay….
Know what it looks like.
How do you recognize human trafficking? There are different “flags”. Look beneath the surface of everyday activities where you live and work. Look for things that are out of context. For example, if there’s a chiropractic office and you happen to be in the area late at night, and you notice that different men are coming in and out of that place every half-hour at 2 in the morning…those aren’t typical office hours for a chiropractic office.
It could also appear to be prostitution activities out of a home in your neighborhood. By reporting that activity, law enforcement can investigate. They can determine if it’s human trafficking related.
Report it.
Should you try to intervene in any way? Do not put yourself in danger, or the person you’re trying to help in danger. Not only could you risk your life and the victim’s life, you could also mess up efforts to investigate and prosecute the bad guys (or gals!). Law enforcement has their role. Report it and let them do their job.
Who to call.
So what should you do about it? Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center: 888-3737-888 to report a lead or a tip. They can also field your questions about human trafficking. It’s 24/7, nationwide and multi-lingual. If you’re reporting an emergency, dial 911.
In the next post, I'll talk about eight ways for you to tell if something looks like human trafficking.
Links to learn more about human trafficking.
Note: this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive list; it’s a start.
Nationwide:
• US Dept of Health & Human Services: www.rescueandrestore.org
• US Dept of State, Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report 2009: www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008
• FBI, Innocence Lost Campaign: www.fbi.gov/innolost/innolost.htm
• Shared Hope: www.sharedhope.org
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC): www.missingkids.com
• Polaris Project: www.polarisproject.org
Regional:
• Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC): www.bsccoalition.org
• Los Angeles County Unity Coalition (LACUC): www.lahumantrafficking.org
• Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF): www.ochumantrafficking.org
• Captive Daughters: www.captivedaughters.org
