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6 things you need to know about human trafficking in Michiana

By: Bashor Children’s Home

Human trafficking is a horrific crime — and it’s happening right here in our community. Here are six things you need to know.

WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?

Human trafficking is, in essence, slavery. Merriam-Webster defines it asorganized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited.”

Some human trafficking victims are forced to provide labor, like cleaning homes or working in a factory against their will. Most identified human trafficking victims were forced into sex work, according to the Polaris Project, which runs the National Human Trafficking Hotline and BeFree Textline.

Human trafficking does not always include moving a victim across state lines or to a different country. In fact, some victims may appear to live “normal” lives.

WHO ARE THE VICTIMS?

Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking, though statistics show women and children are most likely to be targeted by a potential trafficker.

A lot of people assume that human trafficking is only a thing that happens in third-world countries, but an estimated minimum 300,000 kids in the U.S. are at risk to become victims of human sex trafficking, according to the 2016 Indiana State Report on Human Trafficking.

Human trafficking victims usually don’t come from other countries. A U.S. Justice Department study found that 83 percent of sex trafficking victims identified in the U.S. were American citizens.

People who have histories of physical or sexual abuse or domestic violence, people who are homeless and people who come from a low socio-economic background are especially vulnerable.

HOW CAN I RECOGNIZE A HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIM?

There are several signs of human trafficking, according to the Polaris Project, including:

  • Being under 18 and engaging in sex or sex acts for money
  • Working unusual hours, including working more than seems average
  • Being especially afraid, anxious, submissive or depressed, especially if law enforcement is mentioned
  • Lacking general health care, including looking malnourished
  • Not having any possessions, identification or money

Human trafficking victims are manipulated psychologically to become emotionally, physically, economically and socially dependent on their traffickers. The level of emotional, physical and sexual abuse often makes victims feel especially attached to or protective of their traffickers, so they may not believe they can or should try to escape their situation.

THIS ISN’T HAPPENING IN INDIANA, IS IT?

Unfortunately, human trafficking is happening everywhere in America, including in Indiana and right here in St. Joseph and Elkhart counties.

One service provider with the Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans task force helped more than 178 trafficked children in 2016 alone, according to the 2016 Indiana State Report on Human Trafficking. Of those, 150 were ages 14 to 18 and almost all of them were girls.

WHAT ARE THE LAWS ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN INDIANA?

Indiana’s first human trafficking-related law was passed in 2006. The law defined human trafficking and criminalized it as a felony. The law also created a path for victims to receive restitution.

Several laws have been passed since to add special protections for child trafficking victims, allow police to seize property related to human trafficking investigations, increase penalties for child pornography-related crimes and creating a new Department of Child Services code to identify and better serve children who have been trafficked.

Since 2006, at least 88 charges of promotion of human trafficking and sexual trafficking of a minor charges and 1,511 child solicitation charges have been filed against perpetrators, according to the 2016 Indiana State Report on Human Trafficking.

WHAT CAN I DO IF I SUSPECT SOMEONE IS A VICTIM OR PERPETRATOR OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING?

Call your local police department or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also text the BeFree hotline at 233733 from 3 to 11 p.m. EST. Every citizen in Indiana is considered a “mandated reporter” of suspected child abuse, including human trafficking.

Interested in learning more about how you can help stop human trafficking in our community? Attend the Human Trafficking in Michiana panel discussion on March 15 in Elkhart, hosted by Bashor Children’s Home and Global Link Distribution. Seating is limited, so register today

Note: This event is presented by Federated Media Engaged. Federated Media Engaged and 95.3 MNC are both subsidiaries of Federated Media.

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