A friend and I were returning home from a trip the other night and stopped at a rest area about 15 minutes from home along a busy interstate. I’ve been in several rest area bathrooms with signs on the wall asking us to report suspected sex trafficking, but the signs in the rest area stalls this time have been on my mind for three days.
See, it was a Stop sign that read, “If you or someone you know are forced to work or forced to sell sex against your will….”
The bottom of the signs had a phone number that you could call or text. And the thing that really made our blood run cold was that people had been taking the numbers. In fact, the one in the last stall was completely empty.
To think that you could be sitting in a bathroom stall beside a female who was being forced to sell sex against her will and being transported on the interstate was enough to make me physically ill. And the sign didn’t shake me up; the fact that the numbers had been ripped off had me shook because that meant that someone needed to remember that hotline number.
More Than Ogling
I wrote about my own child’s uncomfortable experiences with men in stores ogling her and making her feel uncomfortable last week, so the sexualization of women has been on my mind, but imagining a female being in a car or vehicle with someone who was forcing her against her will to have sex? Well, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I shared the photos with a friend who knows all the things and we had a brief text exchange about it. I asked for links so I could learn more. I’ve read article after article in the past three days, and, this is hard for me to admit, I realized how ignorant I am about the whole thing.
For starters, I’ve never attended a training or presentation about sex trafficking but have worked with people who have. They’ve told me that they learned that West Virginia is one of the hot spots for sex trafficking because of our interstate system and close proximity to states. I read just yesterday morning that two of our neighboring states, Ohio and Kentucky, have some of the highest incidents in the nation. So, if it’s that prevalent, why do I not know more about it?
For example, I had no idea that labor trafficking existed. Curious as to why the sign in the restroom stall spoke to those who were being forced to work against their will, I quickly learned that people are often victims of labor trafficking. According to the Polaris Project, “Labor trafficking is the crime of using force, fraud or coercion to induce another individual to work or provide service. Common types include agriculture, domestic work, restaurants, cleaning services, and carnivals.”
A Deeper Chord
What? This is a thing? How did I not know?!? The Polaris Project website gives a list of signs, such as a group of workers whose boss has control of their legal documents.
Sex trafficking is the same premise except the victims are forced to sell sex. The list from polarisproject.org names escort services, pornography, massage parlors and solicitation as examples. And that’s not all. Parents have been known to traffic their children to sell their sex for drugs.
I like to think of myself as aware of what is going on in the world, and I’m saddened that the words “human trafficking” have never struck a deeper chord with me. The literature says that there is evidence that shows that minorities are more often victims of trafficking, but anyone can be victimized. And I think it’s very important to point out that exploiting labor and labor trafficking are different. Trafficking involves force and concern for one’s life.
Once again, our nation’s most vulnerable populations are the ones at highest risk. Runaways, LGBTQ youth, immigrants, people struggling with substance abuse and/or mental health issues, and people struggling with poverty and looking for a financial out are at higher risk. Promises of great job offers and a better life often lead at-risk people to become ensnared in trafficking.
Recently, there were unfounded rumors that Wayfair Furniture was involved in a human trafficking ring, and organizations that work to end human trafficking have been very vocal about how the phone lines being tied up with social media rumors was harmful to those victims who were in desperate need of help. I’ve read that human trafficking has over 20 business models, so what model are we going to use to raise public awareness and help to end this heinous crime?
Know what to look for. Know what to do if you find it. And stay woke.
Onward,
Amy Jo
