Learn How To Spot Human Trafficking In NC

Trafficking is a crime that basically occurs all over the state can occur in urban areas, rural areas, smaller cities and pound military bases and tourist nation NC family Pres. John Rustin thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters today. Would you be discussing the status of human trafficking in North Carolina and how a variety of groups are stepping up to address the dreadful activity or guest today is Courtney docketing Executive Director of elements for freedom and anti-trafficking organization located right here in North Carolina elements for freedom works with government agencies, students, churches and service providers to confront and respond to human trafficking in Alamance County and to support the efforts of an anti-human trafficking network in North Carolina. Courtney walking the family policy matter to try to have Young show.

Thank you for having me know, Courtney. Fortunately, the issue of human trafficking is getting more attention these days. I guess unfortunately that it is, but fortunately that were learning more about it and its prevalence in the state, but I think many of us are still very unaware of the true magnitude of this problem, especially here in North Carolina as we begin our discussion today, would you please give us a count of the lay of the land if you will, of the current status of human trafficking in North Carolina. Human trafficking is a crime that basically occurs all over the state.

It can occur in urban areas, rural areas, smaller cities and pound military bases and tourist destination basically been occur wherever commercial sex exist. However, people who are in need of work on the wording trapped in jobs they can get out of.

As you said the awareness North Carolina has really exploded the past years and because of that more people are learning to recognize the signs learning how to report tips, law enforcement agencies are putting more resources into investigation, social workers and advocates are being trained to look for these cases because of this the reports of human trafficking are obviously increasing, however, and this is a problem we can we deal with regularly.

There still lacks a real data. There were still lacks real numbers because that's what people want to know how how often is this occurring how much is this occurring how many victims have you seen in your area but one indicator that very helpful is the national human trafficking Hotline. This is a project of the Polaris project and get each year they issue a national report and state-by-state report on hotline data though. From 2015 2016. The United States has seen 35% jump in cases of course to that call line that's pretty significant.

North Carolina is usually ranked somewhere between seven and 10% of content in the United States recalled that hotline in 2016 North Carolina South 598 calls that hotline and 181 human trafficking cases reported, compared to 2012, in which there were 430 total calls and 100 cases reported that the significant different in North Carolina.

The common Denny's that we would see here with the hotel and motel based next trafficking commercial front brothels such as nail salons or massage parlors online based ads or sexual services are advertised on customers call in and set up appointment labor trafficking venues would be added in agriculture among migrant workers, landscaping and construction crews, restaurants and in homes in the form of domestic servant. Another venue that kicked that is sometimes surprising people would include door to door magazine sales and people are conned into selling magazines for free trips or college tuition and they're basically paid nothing.

They all stay together in hotels move around from area to area. Even state to state that that's something worth thinking about.

Interesting. I think we hear about human trafficking and often think about it in the context of of sex trafficking, but it also does take place with respect to labor and as you describe various types of labor who all good. The primary targets of those who operate human trafficking activities.

The primary targets are going to be anyone who needs a job. Anyone who needs money, attention, relationship protection traffickers use these things to lure and create a dependency it's can include homeless youth trade sex for food or shelter or drugs, even those who have suffered childhood trauma and abuse, and those people who are unaware of our laws. For instance, when it is illegal for an employee to isolate and threaten an employee for Tatian to keep it in bondage. It is illegal to force someone to pay off debt and said that the ignorance of the laws is one way traffickers can exploit victims talking about Alamance for freedom.

The organization which are directly involved with. What do you all do to serve in this effort, and talk about some of the similar organizations which you work with across the state and across the nation are to address this issue. I'll start talking about North Carolina coalition against human trafficking that the coalition literally in North Carolina and it is for the organizing body of various regional rapid response teams and those were organized early on when very few people were either believing that human trafficking was happening in our area and there just were very little resources even five years ago. So those rapid response teams were multidisciplinary groups coming together to either investigate, discuss and respond to victims, we would coordinate training and that kind of thing in the beginning there were just a few of those now there are more. We are part of that network. So when we were learning how to serve our community. We got involved in the efforts that were already around us and we recognize there was just a gap in element County that we decided to begin in our area advocating for this issue and because we were connected to the greater network in North Carolina. We were able to tap into those resources that what we've done is awareness service provider training lots of outreach and we do provide victim assistance, but we are connected to that larger network you're listening to policy matters a resource to listen to our radio show online, and someone resources that will be a voice of persuasion in your community to our website and see family.org Courtney what you currently see as the weakest link in the train to addressing the issue of human trafficking. You know it's easy to point to the tent or the trafficker right as the bad guy but cloying.

These people who were being exploited.

So employers needed pay fair wages to their employees and they need to make sure their employees are not being voided by crew bosses also is behind his Vineland inlets include porn on that whose contributing to it is creating the demand. If there was no demand these girls and boys in human being would not be sold, so we have to think of it as a supply and demand issues.

The only other thing I would say besides that, I think the key aspect in this whole discussion is the lack of safe, supportive, homes for children where children are not there not being nurtured in a safe, supportive home in that can either be a foster care home or group home or just there, their biological family, children run away from these homes where there snatched up by traffickers children develop these traumatic responses to their homes and they grow up, and they are very very vulnerable to exploitation and further abuse.

So I think the lack of safe, supportive, homes for children in North Carolina is absolutely crucial to this entire discussion when people say how can I fight human trafficking eating at the start of safe home raise her children PC abuse and domestic violence. Learn how to report it.

Let scorecard for our children and not everybody. Everybody can do that. I do know Courtney, the Toronto Gen. assembly has already passed legislation to crack down on human trafficking in North Carolina and there's certainly more the bid needs to be done and can be done. How have these recent changes with the general assembly has enacted helped him and what else do you think needs to be done. If you were to prioritize the needs. I just want to say that the safe harbor laws in North Carolina have been huge in where a 16-year-old girl is not getting be arrested for prosecuting on first of all child cannot prostitute. They are prostituted so that is that's been huge in this effort. And when you here as I hear a ton older police officers say, you know my mindset is really changed because back in the day we were just lucky girls and charge them etc. etc. and now we're looking at them as victims and were hearing their stories and were understanding how they got to where they are and were changing our minds arched our minds that are changing about this this population, and for me that's very powerful that his success to me. So we are not looking at this adolescent artist teenager as the throwaway kid were say what your story how did she get here, what can we do to help Courtney as we concluded our conversation with Kim parents and even siblings do to help protect children, brothers and sisters from falling victim to human trafficking or site that is a great question.

I've sort of said this before, or alluded to it.

We know that a lot of that comes they will have trauma histories though keeping our homes safe from abuse and violence is very important in giving children the opportunity to report that abuse, giving them opportunities to say, my home is not safe and also for us to learn how to report abuse so that it's responded to appropriately get it's children in our homes are engaging in behavior that concern us. It's really important that we don't take them out of our home that they don't when they run away from home. They are at real risk for being trafficked and particularly LGBT cute kids. These are kids that are very very vulnerable time date they run away from home.

They don't feel excepted or there kicked out if there's not enough something your children are engaging behavior and is just you don't know what to do. Let's be responsible parents and provide what we need for our kids, and that does not happen. The other thing that's really important is that in this is going to be surprised is that we monitor online use with our kids, especially online gaming. We tell our kids don't talk to strangers, but these days what the stranger when you've been playing call of duty with them for a month and now you're texting every night, though, we have to talk. We have to think about our kids becoming familiar with strangers through online gaming or social media so we really have to stay vigilant over that gray will we will encourage your listeners to get involved. Be aware, be intentional about identifying things that just oftentimes just don't seem right with all individuals and families that may live in your neighborhood and if you find something good, good, fits the profile of what we talked about today.

Please get involved in get engaged and let the 40s know the right their questionable activity that may be going on because it may really help to get an individual a child or out of a very helpful situation and do some good in helping to eradicate human trafficking forced and I would say one more thing people will sometimes tell me about things that they see or think they are staying calm enforcement all I don't want to do that. I'm not sure it happening are called the National human trafficking Hotline number one not positive that doesn't matter if you if you if you see something that you know is not right me report you don't have to be correct. You not to get in trouble by doing that you back at what I tell people you might be the night person that called about that home or is called about that restaurant and what your information might be the very thing law enforcement needs to.

Finally, you know. Check it out or will go further in their investigation.

So if you if you see something, say something and know the numbers at the hotline number in your cell phone called your local law enforcement and not really that's a huge thing though that something we all can definitely do work your listeners go to learn more about elements of freedom and your efforts will we have a website but I would also say look at a project. No rest website for that North Carolina project out of UNC Chapel Hill school social work on their doing a lot of great things were connected with that project and on North Carolina coalition against human trafficking. Polaris Project is a fantastic resource. I use it constantly.

I would say go there and then they have a directory for all the antihuman trafficking organization in the country. They have a good database for those efforts as well as organizations gray will we will encourage your listeners to get involved and without Courtney Dr. Thomas, thank you so much for being with us on family policy matters and for your important work on the issue of human trafficking here in North to the law, thank you so much family policy matters production of NZ family to listen to our radio show online, and for more valuable resources and information about issues important to families in North Carolina go to our website and see family.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook