Journeys, June 2015, Battling Human Trafficking
Battling Human Trafficking
General Session, Thursday, June 18
Presented by Lara Powers and Courtney Walsh,
The Making of a Girl video: https://bit.ly/1BPw7ZF
Take Aways:
U.S. laws draw a distinction between commercial sex trafficking and labor trafficking in terms of what is needed to be successful for criminal prosecution. Proof of force, fraud and coercion are not needed to prosecute parties involved in trafficking minors for commercial sex acts.
Neither victims nor traffickers can be stereotyped in that all genders, races and income groups are exploited and/or perpetrators.
Indicators of child sex trafficking: Under 18; Evidence of a controlling relationship; Signs of abuse; Online presence that indicates sexual activity; and Unexplained new purchases.
Indicators of labor trafficking: Confined to workplace or employer provided housing; Owes a large debt and unable to pay it off; Does not control his own ID and other legal documents; Recruited through false promises; and Unpaid, paid very little or paid only in tips.
Contact the Hotline rather than the local police should you suspect any form of trafficking. Rationale – The Hotline has a relationship with trained police officers so these officers will be dispatched and the victims will be treated as victims and not arrested as criminals.
Hotline resources:
Phone – 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 (BeFree)
Training resources, including pre-recorded webinars: https://www.traffickingresourcecenter.org/resources
Factsheet: https://bit.ly/1RAa1f8