Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
**UPDATE** The Gazette received word after publication that the walk has been postponed to a later date which has yet to be determined.
Colfax — When someone brings up human trafficking, many people have scenes from the movie ‘Taken’ pop into their head—a violent kidnapping in a foreign place, a drug house and sex slave auction. But this is an outdated view, according to Daniela Miranda, crime victim advocate at Alternatives to Violence on the Palouse (ATVP).
“It doesn’t look like the movies,” she said of human trafficking.
Miranda is the scheduled speaker for the March for World Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Pullman today, July 30, at 3 p.m. The event begins at the Cougar Statue at Martin Stadium.
There was a 25% jump in human trafficking cases in Washington from 2017 to 2018, according to PolarisProject.org, yet this may not be a true look at the problem.
“It’s definitely a problem and it’s under reported,” Miranda said, noting survivors and law enforcement may have trouble reporting human trafficking as it can look like assault or domestic violence.
What is trafficking?
Human trafficking is the use of force or coercion to make a person provide labor or sex. According to Polaris Project, most traffickers use psychological means such as tricking, defrauding, manipulating or threatening victims into providing commercial sex or exploitative labor.
There are many myths about trafficking that Human Trafficking Awareness Day and Project Polaris seek to debunk, including misconceptions about how a person is trafficked, what they do and who the traffickers are.
“Most people will not call their trafficker a trafficker,” Miranda said. Instead, they may call their trafficker “boyfriend” or “boss.”
“Most human trafficking is domestic,” Miranda said in rebuke of the belief trafficking is primarily for sex. In the United States there are more adults trafficked than children, and labor trafficking is mostly adults. Those people are often promised employment or a wonderful position and find themselves indebted to the trafficker for whom they continue to work with little to no freedom or way out. According to data from Polaris Project, many survivors were trafficked by romantic partners including spouses and family members including parents.
A lot of trafficking begins with contact through social media or the internet, especially with minors, Miranda noted. The trafficker builds a relationship and grooms the victim to do what they want.
People being trafficked are not necessarily moved out of the area either. Miranda said someone can be trafficked in the same community they live.
Solutions and help
Being aware of what human trafficking really looks like is one of the best way people can begin to combat it. According to Polaris Project, the top point of access to potential help for the victim is through family and friends.
One of the red flags to watch for include people who have their movements restricted—a co-worker who has to check with their boss or significant other for minor things like going out for lunch or buying a milkshake.
If a victim does open up about their situation, the best thing to do is make sure they feel believed and supported, Miranda said. The top method of force used by traffickers, according to Polaris Project, is isolation/confinement, so making a connection is important to helping victims. If the victim—who has likely already been mentally or physically abused and isolated—does not feel safe, they won’t want to speak up.
Locally, ATVP provides resources to support survivors of trafficking. Other resources include Crime Victim Services of Whitman County and National Human Trafficking hotline.
Minors
When it comes to minors, Miranda said the red flags come in big changes in behavior and personality. They often spend an increasing about of time online with people the parents or those close to them may not recognize as the trafficker works to groom them.
“Honestly, being involved in your child’s life...can help to prevent a lot of those things,” she said.
Jana Mathia is a reporter at the Whitman County Gazette.
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