Many of us may remember the story that made rounds during the Super Bowl in 2017 when a flight attendant saved a young woman from human trafficking by spotting signs and recognizing she needed help. An increase in training professionals to spot signs and how to rescue victims is becoming a necessity in many different professions, especially where people at risk of trafficking have a higher probability of interacting with these professionals; think hospitals, law enforcement, hospitality, and schools.
Give me Some Background
Tragically, sex and labor trafficking nothing new. These problems coincide with issues like prostitution and the hidden victims whom often do not come to mind first. The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking globally -68% of them in forced labor, 26% of them are children and 55% are women and girls. In 2016, an estimated 1 out of 6 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims. Here is a graph of the number of cases in the top states from 2016:
Last year, the most frequent type of caller to the National Human Trafficking Hotline was community members and second most frequent type were actual victims of human trafficking. Last year saw a 35% increase in cases reported — for example, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 2,000 human traffickers and identified 400 victims.
Here are some statistics of the types of people trafficked and the age it began from The Polaris Project:
Who Can Help?
An Annals of Health Law report from 2014 found 88% of sex trafficking survivors reported having contact with a healthcare provider while being trafficked. Unfortunately, training is not mandated to recognize the signs of human trafficking for many nurses, doctors and first responders who help these patients. There are many different programs now dedicated to training professionals in
There are many different programs now dedicated to training professionals in high-probability-of-contact professions. Professionals in health care, hospitality and education are now getting mandated training courses so they can spot warning signs and know what to do when they believe someone may be in danger of being trafficked. There are different warning signs for children than adults.
Warning signs for children consist of:
- changes in their school attendance habits, appearance, socio-economic status, friend groups, interests, school activities, vocabulary, demeanor, attitude and sexual behavior
- luxury items like manicures, designer clothing, purses, etc. without an explainable source of income
- getting into trouble in the company of older teens or adults, claim of an older boyfriend/girlfriend
- sexually provocative clothing or pictures on phones or online accounts
- tattoos or branding
- hotel key cards, refillable gift cards, multiple phone or social media accounts
- unexplained injuries: bruising, swelling, redness, cigarette burns
- multiple runaways in a short period of time
Warning signs for adults consist of:
- third-party control of their schedule and social interaction
- isolation from community, family or friends
- evidence of violence: bruising, swelling, scarring
- tattoos or branding
- sexually provocative clothing that is inappropriate for the situation or weather
- frequent movement/erratic schedule
- inability to speak English or identification documents in the hands of a third party
- lack of knowledge about the community
- malnutrition, dehydration, exhaustion, dizziness, headaches, memory loss from traumatic brain injury, untreated chronic disease, dental or visual problems, chronic back pain, muscle strains, cardio vascular and respiratory issues related to exposure to chemicals, serious industrial injury
For example, here is a table that Texas gives to their teachers to spot issues within schools
Since 2009, Airline Ambassadors has been working to make sure when a trafficker flies with a victim the flight crew is trained to spot and report them. One of the hardest lessons flight attendants have had to learn is to pull back when they suspect a victim is on board. The protocol is for flight attendants to call the pilot when they suspect a human trafficking victim is on board and the pilot then calls ahead to the flight’s destination where authorities are notified to meet the plane.
Here is a link from DHS for Sex Trafficking awareness video training. The Human Trafficking Hotline also has many different online training videos including what to expect when you call a hotline, how to recognizing trafficking, to the best way to report suspicious people/activity.
The Bills
2017 saw many bills introduced across different areas that aim to target training and rescuing victims of human trafficking. Not all were successful.
KY SB20 would have required mandatory training to be taught to all students attending a law enforcement basic training that included the characteristics and dynamics of human trafficking, state and federal laws relating to human trafficking, the investigation of cases involving human trafficking (including screening for human trafficking) and resources for assistance to the victims of human trafficking. VA HB678 would have established training for law enforcement as well.
CA SB270 relates to human trafficking recognition, reporting and training for hotels and motels. The bill moves to require a hotel or motel that provides lodging services in the state to train its employees who are likely to interact or come into contact with victims of human trafficking in recognizing the signs of human trafficking and how to report those signs to the appropriate law enforcement agency. This bill is currently alive.
CA AB1227 – Human Trafficking Prevention Education and Training Act – to reduce the vulnerability of all children in California to incidents of commercial labor or sexual exploitation and to begin to eradicate human trafficking from the state. The bill finds it necessary that the state, schools, and counties implement comprehensive prevention education and training procedures designed to coordinate with organizations, train to spot at risk situations, teach California’s school-age population how to avoid becoming victims of exploitation and study how the training and education affect the incidence of human trafficking and the levels of knowledge and vigilance about the issue. This bill is currently alive.
US S1311, the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017, aims to require victim protection training for the Department of Homeland Security, training for health professionals and specialized human trafficking training and technical assistance for service providers. This bill is currently alive.
US HR2200, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017, works to help law enforcement with training, gives $250,000 to increase outreach and give “live on-site anti-trafficking” training to airport staff. This bill is alive and has passed the House. This bill would help increase the impact of the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 which implemented advanced training for recognizing and responding to potential human trafficking victims for flight attendants.
US S256, the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training (or SOAR) act, works to identify potential human trafficking victims, work with law enforcement to report trafficking incidences, refer victims to service agencies and provide victims with care tailored to their circumstances. The bill also would update training for healthcare workers to spot trafficking victims. This bill is currently alive.
The one thing that I have truly enjoyed about reading, writing and participating in activism is learning about all the levels there are to every issue. There are so many ways to fight issues and help some of the worst problems that plague our society and it’s inspiring to me the multiple ways people are tackling the issues. Especially when legislation is proposed and passed that gives people the resources and support they need. Obviously I think that all professions that come in contact with human trafficking victims should receive training to help them. I’ve called Congress about the bills I support the most, which you can do too. It seems like a pretty slam-dunk idea, what are your thoughts?
Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash
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