Today I participated in the Human Trafficking Volunteer Task Force. We
went to three bars in District Two to see if they were in compliance
with State Law that requires a poster with the trafficking hotline was
prominently displayed by the front door where customers could see it.
One out of three bars, Ferns on 4th Street, was already in compliance. The other two were
willing to put up the posters pretty much on the spot.
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers
use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of
engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will.
Since the posters began going up, there have been a significant increase in calls to the Human Trafficking Hotline. The law requiring bars to display the poster was actually passed several years back. Fines for failing to display the poster are $500 for the first 30 days, and $1000 for each additional 30 days there after. The hotline which is: 1 (888) 373-7888 is staffed seven days a week. It is manned by volunteers who can field several different languages. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center coordinates the outreach efforts. Basically, outreach sends volunteers out to venues that are expected to comply with the law, speaks with the managers and owners of the venue about the law, provides the materials to be in compliance if needed and tracks their efforts for the District Attorney in case the venue refuses to comply.
There are two major kinds of Human Trafficking. One focuses on sex, the other on slave labor. This month's West Division Leadership Forum, a bi-monthly meeting on community safety focused on this topic. The West Division Leadership Forum is a bi-monthly forum, held on the third Wednesday of the month. The current meeting place for the forum is Grant AME Church at 1129 Alamitos Ave, in Long Beach. The next meeting should be December 20th, 2015.
This is the delayed write up. Because this is a serious topic, I want to do it some justice. We are talking about a form of slavery here. Because of the seriousness of the topic, I am leaving the other topic of Code Enforcement for another day.
The pimps are revered by boys who hope to growup with their status
The concept of human trafficking reflects a shift in police tactics. In earlier days, law enforcement saw the prostitute as the prime target. Once arrested, police didn't talk to the prostitute and the prostitute didn't talk to the police. These days, the focus has shifted to the pimp. Human trafficking, which is now a felony, has brought much of the focus away from the women bought and sold like commodities, who in many cases are victims of severe emotional, physical and sexual abuse.
Many of the pimps subjects will be manipulated through fear, abuse and intimidation.
Human trafficking victims have been as young as five years old.There have been more than 27 million victims, 800,000 a year, 244,000 in America and 3000 in LA County alone. The industry itself is a $32 billion industry, with one girl often bringing in $500 a day. In many cases the victims are homeless, emotionally traumatized or mentally ill. They may also rely on drugs, alcohol or lack the ability to meet their own basic needs.
In that sense, human trafficking is a kind of kidnapping based on mental and emotional abuse and manipulation.
Sex and labor traffickers may find their victims at clubs, on the street, group homes, through mutual friends, malls and after school programs, Within our neighborhoods also be careful of traveling food carts, especially in the downtown and Central Long Beach Neighborhoods.
Often the pimps send other girls into these areas like homeless shelters to recruit for them.And sexual slavery does not just target the poor,but can also affect those who dwell in upper class families where rape may be used as a tool of coercion and blackmail.Pimps have also employed social media as a recruiting tool. Sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Moco Space, the latter is a gaming community I had never heard of until the meeting, have all bean used to lure in new girls.
To help keep their children safe, parents should always discuss how to stay safe online. And they should recognize the warning signs when their children might have taken online conversations too far. The relationship the pimp creates is based on controlling everything. The pimp decides on where the women he is trafficking can be. They may need his permission to shower or even sleep. In some cases the pimp may threaten not only the girl herself but her entire family.In many cases the trafficker will force their victims to call him "Daddy," the deepen his control.
Many girls find themselves branded, isolated and trapped. They are prevented from having conversations with anyone, with their pimp handling all communication with any potential John or Jane.
There are warning signs someone may be headed towards a life human trafficking.
The warning signs include:
Unexpected truancy
Signs of physical abuse
Chronically running away
Unusual promiscuous behavior
Withdrawn/ depression and fear
Inappropriate behavior with other people
Sudden possession of expensive Jewelry and clothing
If you see these signs in your children, friends or peers be aware what they may mean.
Those who would like to help protect Long Beach from human trafficking are asked to stay educated on the subject and help educate others. This involves not only getting churches and community organizations involved, but working with those community organizations already dealing with the issue like the Saving Innocence Project. It involves teaching potential victims, to walk in pairs, to walk with self confidence and purpose as well as chose your friends wisely. And it involves showing empathy to the people you see on the street. Human traffickers rely on anabsence of empathy to create victims. Also, when you do see something out of place, say something thatmay lead to help.
