Fighting ‘modern-day slavery’

WILKES-BARRE — Suzanne M. Beck, Chief Executive Officer at Victims Resource Center, this week said people have a perception in their mind about what human trafficking looks like and it’s not always what is seen in the movies.

“Human trafficking victims can be recruited and trafficked in our own home towns, including here in NEPA,” Beck said. “Pennsylvania is ranked 9th in the nation for reported cases of trafficking, and while this is for reported cases, human trafficking is notoriously one of the most under-reported crimes.”

Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce agrees. He attended Friday’s Red Sand Project ceremony on Public Square and said human trafficking has increased significantly in Luzerne County in recent years.

“It’s overwhelming,” he said. “Major city problems are also here in Luzerne County. That’s why we need to increase awareness, especially in our neighborhoods.”

Beck and Sanguedolce say that human traffickers succeed when systems and communities don’t work together.

The NEPA Task Force Against Human Trafficking has been coordinating efforts to combat the problem. Tom Mosca, co-Chair of the NEPA Task Force Against Human Trafficking, said Friday’s Red Sand Project demonstration on Public Square was held to remind people that human trafficking not only occurs across the country and across the world, but right here in Luzerne County as well.

Mosca noted that today, Sunday, July 30, is the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

“Human trafficking is modern-day slavery,” Mosca said. “And it’s estimated that more than 40 million people around the world are victims of human trafficking.”

Mosca said more than 80% of those victims are female and over 50% are children. He said the majority of adult victims were trafficked as minors and the average age of entry for a minor victim in between 12 and 14.

“Human trafficking is not the same as human smuggling and it doesn’t require anyone to be transported across a border, ” Mosca said. “Most human trafficking is for sex and approximately 83% of confirmed sex trafficking victims identified in this country are U.S. citizens.”

Mosca said events like Friday’s Red Sand Project ceremony are held to acknowledge the millions of victims of human trafficking across the world.

Sanguedolce said, “When we all work together, that’s when we can eradicate human trafficking. We always tell the public that just because you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. I is happening here in the shadows and it’s happening every day.”

Sanguedolce said his office has seen an increase in reported human trafficking cases, but the reality is most cases go unreported.

“Through training, we have become much better at recognizing it,” Sanguedolce said. “We’ve done a few sting operations that have been successful and we have conducted training with the FBI.”

Tracking statistics difficult

Local, state and national statistics are difficult to collect for many reasons. The statistics are based on reported cases and victims rarely report.

Officials said there is often difficulty in identifying victims due to the nature of the crime.

“What we do know is the number of incidences far exceeds the number of reports,” VRC’s Beck said.

Victims that VRC has seen over the past 4½ years:

• 2019: 1 human trafficking victim served

• 2020: 4 human trafficking victims served

• 2021: 14 human trafficking victims served

• 2022: 20 human trafficking victims served

• 2023: 17 human trafficking victims served (January–present)

Again these are reported cases only. As Beck and Sanguedolce stress, most cases go unreported.

”We attribute the increase to a number of things,” Beck said. “The increased outreach efforts and the collaborative work being done locally to reach victims in addition to our AllOne Foundation Grant, which allows us to have a Human Trafficking Advocate on staff.”

Alysha Ennis is the Human Trafficking Advocate at the Victims Resource Center. Ennis said reported incidents have increased in all three counties served by the agency.

“We want everyone to be more aware of their surroundings,” Ennis said. “A human trafficker could be a friend, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a husband or a wife. And victims could be any age, from children to adults.”

Human Trafficking Hotline

Sanguedolce said if you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 and report it.

The Human Trafficking Hotline defines human trafficking as “a situation in which an individual is compelled to work or engage in commercial sex through the use of force, fraud or coercion. If the individual is under the age of 18 and engaging in commercial sex they are experiencing trafficking regardless of whether force, fraud, or coercion is also taking place.”

If you believe you may have information about a trafficking situation or are involved in a situation:

• Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free hotline at — 1-888-373-7888.

• Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking.

• Text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 233733. Message and data rates may apply.

• Chat the National Human Trafficking Hotline via — humantraffickinghotline.org/chat.

• Please note that if the situation is urgent or occurred within the last 24 hours you are encouraged to call, text or chat.

If you believe a child is involved in a trafficking situation, submit a tip through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline or call 1-800-THE-LOST. FBI personnel assigned to NCMEC review information that is provided to the CyberTipline.

FBI.gov

The FBI website —fbi.gov — provides information on human trafficking.

The FBI website says:

• Human trafficking is the illegal exploitation of a person. Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking, and it can occur in any U.S. community — cities, suburbs, and even rural areas.

• The FBI works human trafficking cases under its Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking program.

• Here in the United States, both U.S. residents and foreign nationals are being bought and sold like modern-day slaves. Traffickers use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to exploit victims. Victims are forced to work as prostitutes or to take jobs as migrant, domestic, restaurant, or factory workers with little or no pay. Human trafficking is a heinous crime that exploits the most vulnerable in society.

Under the human trafficking program, the FBI investigates:

Sex trafficking: When individuals are compelled by force, fraud, or coercion to engage in commercial sex acts. Sex trafficking of a minor occurs when the victim is under the age of 18. For cases involving minors, it is not necessary to prove force, fraud, or coercion.

Labor trafficking: When individuals are compelled by force, threats, or fraud to perform labor or service.

Domestic servitude: When individuals within a household appear to be nannies, housekeepers, or other types of domestic workers, but they are being controlled and exploited.

Human Trafficking task forces

The NEPA Task Force Against Human Trafficking is a collaborative, multi-disciplinary effort to establish and incorporate best practices to identify and serve victims and at-risk populations, investigate and prosecute perpetrators and increase overall awareness of the purpose of preventing and eliminating exploitation and Human Trafficking, and assisting victims suffering from these crimes to achieve restoration and justice.

For more information:

http://www.stoptraffickingnepa.org/

Victims Resource Center

360 East End Centre

Wilkes Barre, PA 18702

570-823-0766

U.S. Department of Human Services

indicators of human trafficking

Recognizing key indicators of human trafficking is the first step in identifying victims and can help save a life. Here are some common indicators to help recognize human trafficking.

Does the person appear disconnected from family, friends, community organizations, or houses of worship?

Has a child stopped attending school?

Has the person had a sudden or dramatic change in behavior?

Is a juvenile engaged in commercial sex acts?

Is the person disoriented or confused, or showing signs of mental or physical abuse?

Does the person have bruises in various stages of healing?

Is the person fearful, timid, or submissive?

Does the person show signs of having been denied food, water, sleep, or medical care?

Is the person often in the company of someone to whom he or she defers? Or someone who seems to be in control of the situation, e.g., where they go or who they talk to?

Does the person appear to be coached on what to say?

Is the person living in unsuitable conditions?

Does the person lack personal possessions and appear not to have a stable living situation?

Does the person have freedom of movement? Can the person freely leave where they live? Are there unreasonable security measures?

Not all indicators listed above are present in every human trafficking situation, and the presence or absence of any of the indicators is not necessarily proof of human trafficking.