TRAFFICK CIRCLE PART I: RECRUITERS
This post was written by Ginger
Kadlec: 4UrKids™
What is now the second largest and fastest growing
criminal industry in the world, human
trafficking is a vicious circle... victims who
enter this dark and violent underworld find it dangerous and
nearly impossible to escape. That's because it's big business. Human (labor and sex) trafficking
generates over $32 billion globally each year. And those who profit
from it will do virtually anything to keep their money stream flowing.
To better understand how the traffick
circle works, it's important to first meet the key players in
the circle:
1) RECRUITERS: Recruiters
can be ANYBODY -- a 'boyfriend', a neighbor, a friendly person (male or female)
a runaway may meet on the street or even a family member. Recruiters gain
the trust of or even blackmail potential victims to then sell them into
labor or sex. Recruiters and traffickers can actually be the same person.
2) TRAFFICKERS: A
trafficker is anyone who is in control of a victim and benefits
financially from labor or sex into which the victim is sold. A trafficker
(a.k.a. "pimp") controls victims often through the use of violent
abuse, threats and lies. Traffickers employ all sorts of terrible tactics to
control their victims. In many cases, traffickers handle their own recruiting.
3) VICTIMS: Could be
anyone! Once a victim enters the world of trafficking, they find it virtually
impossible to escape on their own. Victims are used for labor or for sex
and it is estimated that over
1 million children are victims of trafficking each year.
Children involved in sex trafficking become victims at young ages: the average entry age for girls is 12 to
14; for boys, it's ages 11 to 13.
4) CONSUMERS: commonly
referred to as "johns" in sex trafficking, these are the people who
purchase the goods/services offered via the trafficker and provided by the
victim. In many cases, these consumers are unaware of the victims' situations
and don't think of them as being imprisoned or suffering.
Part I of this blog series focuses on recruiters and
traffickers... stay tuned for Parts II and III to learn more about consumers
and the victims themselves.
How do Recruiters "recruit" victims?
Recruiters are
master manipulators. Have you ever seen the movie, "Taken" starring Liam
Neeson? For those familiar with this movie, the recruiter is the
young man who meets the two girls the airport and offers to share a
cab, thus discovering their residence. As depicted in the movie, not all
trafficking victims are kidnapped. Many are coerced in one way or another.
Recruiters operate under a wide range of scenarios to snag their victims. Some
examples include:
- A recruiter knows
a teen, either through dating them or even meeting them online. The
recruiter talks the potential victim into sending naked
pictures, but promises the pictures won't be shared. Once the photos
are in the recruiter's hands, the recruiter threatens to share the photos
online or with family and friends if the potential
victim doesn't take things a step further. At that point, the victim
may be cohersed into having sex (which is, of course, recorded); to which
the recruiter/trafficker threatens to release that video
if the victim doesn't continue following the recruiter's
orders. The victim is then handed over to the trafficker and sex slavery
begins.
- A 'kind' person
will befriend a runaway, buy them food or offer them a place to stay.
Their relationship remains friendly for a few days until the victim is
abused/raped and is then sold into the world of slavery. One-third of all runaways are
approached by a trafficker within 48-hours.
- A student (either
from the U.S. or another country) moves in with relatives or friends
of the family so they can study at a special school far away from their
home. They are then forced into labor or sex as a condition of going to
that school and mount an ever-growing debt to their traffickers that
they are unable to repay. Coercion and threats are often used to keep the
victims from getting help from their families.
- A mother
addicted to drugs mounts a huge debt to her dealer and sells her child to
the dealer for sex. The child continues to be sold so the mother's drug
habit can continue.
Other methods traffickers use to ensnare victims
can include:
- Grooming
- Internet, social
media
- Fake employment
agencies
- Acquaintances or
family
- Newspaper or
online ads: Craig's List and Backpage.com are two common online venues
used
- Front businesses
- Word of mouth
- Abduction
Trafficker Profile
Traffickers come in many forms, but they do share some common
characteristics. A trafficker...
- Is likely
involved in a lucrative business enterprise (the heart of human
trafficking is exploiting cheap labor)
- May be part of a
larger organized crime ring or may be profiting independently
- Is most
often the same race/ethnicity as the victim(s)
- Could be someone
who knows the victim or the victim’s family
- Is likely
bilingual
- Will likely be an older man with younger women who seems to be controlling, watching their every move, and correcting/instructing them frequently
Trafficking and the Super Bowl?
Studies
have shown a dramatic increase in the demand for commercial sex services
surrounding large sporting events such as the Super Bowl. KLAAS KIDS
Foundation and F.R.E.E. International, in conjunction with law enforcement,
conducted a study during the 2012 Super Bowl in my hometown of Indianapolis and
found that online escort ads increased an astonishing 659% from January
12th to February 3rd.
For a broader overview of the
human trafficking problem, I invite you to read, "Modern Day Slavery: The
Reality of Human Trafficking". Part II of this series
covers the consumers, otherwise commonly referred to as "johns".
Thank you!
My deepest appreciation goes to the Indiana Attorney General's
Office under the direction of Attorney General Greg Zoeller for
providing much of this information, research and data. Special thanks goes to
Attorney and Human Trafficking Prevention Project Manager Nicole Baldonado and
Intern Kelly Dobkins
for their tremendous assistance, guidance and support. I consider myself
extremely fortunate to live in a state where such talented, engaged and
genuinely concerned professionals are working to protect people from the horrific
realities of human trafficking.
About Ginger
Working to improve the world one child at a time, Ginger
has made it her life mission to raise awareness of the world-wide epidemic of
child abuse. An impassioned child advocate, trainer, speaker and child forensic
interviewer, Ginger can be contacted via her website “Ginger Kadlec: 4UrKids™”
or find her on Facebook.
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