Presentation on human trafficking in Adrian aims for prevention, awareness

ADRIAN — The number of people who are involved in some form of human trafficking or are living within the confines of modern-day slavery are estimated to be 27.6 million — not counting the 22 million people who are living in forced marriage situations — according to information provided by Hope for Justice, an international and worldwide charity working to bring an end to modern slavery and human trafficking.

There are a number of forms of human trafficking, each example falling under the same principle where a victim cannot leave a situation of exploitation and are controlled by threats, punishment, violence, coercion or deception.

While human trafficking continues to this day as a global issue, ensuring people are aware of the signs and symptoms of trafficking is at the forefront of Human Trafficking Prevention Month, recognized each year in January.

What can people in Lenawee County do about human trafficking? That question was addressed Thursday during an open dialogue, town hall meeting in Adrian, hosted by the Adrian Human Relations Commission with support from the Lenawee Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition.

Longtime educator and mental health worker Sister Pat McDonald was the featured speaker of the meeting, which was attended by more than 20 people inside Adrian City Chambers. Because of its open dialogue format, audience members were encouraged to ask questions and share in conversation with McDonald on the topic of human trafficking, which, she said, is happening sometimes right in our own neighborhoods.

“We are aware it is happening (in Lenawee County),” McDonald, an Adrian Dominican Sister, said. “Sometimes (trafficking) is subtle, and sometimes it happens and then there's a lapse and then people go in other venues to get victimized.”

McDonald's suggestion, that she stressed throughout the 1 1/2-hour meeting, was “if you see something out of the ordinary, say something.” Reporting strange instances of human behavior to law enforcement, she said, will allow time for thorough investigations to take place.

Awareness and observance of one's surroundings are also key to understanding the signs of human trafficking, she said.

Some of the most common locations for trafficking of humans to occur, McDonald said, are along interstate highways, truck stops, rest stops and bus stops.

Certified truck drivers, as part of their occupation training, are now being taught how to understand the common signs of trafficking, McDonald said, whether those signs are verbal or nonverbal cues. Very often, those being trafficked, she said, are not going to be able to speak and will only be able to communicate through gestures or hand signals that represent the signs of trafficking.

Cases of human trafficking have been reported in all 50 states, as well as all 38 counties in Michigan, which includes Lenawee County and its neighboring counties. Trafficking of people is such a lucrative business and so many people are making money off of it, McDonald said, that it's conducted as discretely as possible so that nothing seems amiss.

In terms of its profitability worldwide, human trafficking has surpassed drug trafficking, she said. The U.S. Department of Defense states that $99 billion per year is made from sex trafficking, and $51 billion is generated per year from some form of forced labor.

“It's a global issue. And it's a disgusting issue. And it's all about money,” McDonald said.

Human trafficking is a market-based economy, she explained, that exists on the principles of supply and demand. Employability is an important factor when trying to keep victims quiet, she said. Salons, restaurants, housekeeping jobs and farm work are some of the major examples of places where trafficked humans come and go regularly.

“People need jobs. They need to eat. They need to have some semblance of serving their families. And, often, they're brought in and misused,” McDonald said.

There are resources in Lenawee County and in Adrian, she said, that are available for victims of trafficking that provide mental health services, counseling and residential treatment. Many countries around the world do not have the same mental health resources or services that are offered in the United States.

As part of her agency work in the mental health field, McDonald said, she has traveled to four continents and 23 countries. Her travels have helped her see a global perspective of human trafficking and what is available in terms of assistance to people here in the U.S. as compared to other countries.

For 27 years she was an educator at Siena Heights University, retiring from higher education in December 2022. Her work experience has also included social services work in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties; she has traveled to Texas to speak with inmates at federal prisons; and while in Macomb County she directed a child sexual abuse trauma team.

In all instances of understanding human behavior, she said, one of the first places to start with is a person's childhood, their upbringing and their family system.

“Our homes are supposed to be our domiciles,” she said. “It's supposed to be our safe place, right? But all too often, it doesn't turn out that way.”

Parents, guardians, family members, neighbors and community members all have a responsibility to make sure a child is shielded from inappropriate subject matter and that they are cared for in a nonsexual, nonpervasive way, McDonald said. Because of a child's development stages, what happens to them during their youth will ultimately have an effect on how they conduct themselves as they grow.

“We have to look at how we treat one another. And I don't care what we do in the world. I don't care what your position might be, we have no right to be derogatory or name calling to other people. None of us is better than anybody else,” she said.

Turning around the errors of the world, she said, starts with improving one's mental health.

“When we engage with goodness, we get healthier. We do better and we have more energy,” she said.

With improved mental health, she said, people will be more receptive to understanding uncomfortable body language situations around them.

“We can see people's actions or reactions to a situation,” she said. “We are smart enough to see stuff and to report something.”

As McDonald's presentation was organized and hosted by the Adrian Human Relations Commission, the HRC said it is hoping the information presented will reach as many people in the community and show them the things they can do to make one another become better citizens.

“The caring (about other people) part is what I want people to walk away with,” HRC chair Andre'a Benard said. “Are you caring enough to pay attention to what's happening around you, or do you just go about your way?”

The human relations commission has a number of goals and objectives it aims to accomplish in the Adrian community, including being a catalyst for open discussion and problem-solving regarding issues of human rights.

Human trafficking resources

In Lenawee County, services available to victims of human trafficking include:

• Parkside Family Counseling, 517-266-8880.
• Catholic Charities, 517-263-2191.
• Catherine Cobb Safe House, 517-265-6776.
• Lenawee Community Mental Health, 517-263-8905.

National hotlines for assistance are:

• National Crisis and Disaster Hotline, 800-985-5990.
• National Crisis Text, text “Hello” to 741741.
• The Human Trafficking Hotline, 888-373-7888.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Presentation aims for prevention, awareness of human trafficking