Human trafficking talk: 'Tonight was a great experience' – The Quad City Times
More Quad-Citians are learning about human trafficking, courtesy of those tracking it.
Chase Mason, a sophomore accounting major, said he attended this week's trafficking presentation at St. Ambrose University in Davenport to educate himself.
“The opportunity to learn and develop some experience and knowledge in this area (human trafficking) is important,” he said. “The main thing I learned is recognizing the signs. I'd also say recognizing there are some organizations in the QC that I can reach out to if I ever see these situations. Tonight was a great experience.”
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Braking Traffik survivor advocate Sara K, who uses only her first name for personal and client protection, presented an assortment of human trafficking information, beginning with defining factors.
“What's the immediate thought when you think of human trafficking?” she asked at the presentation. “What I most commonly hear is kidnapping, or you think of the movie ‘Taken,' right? When we think of labor (trafficking), sometimes we automatically think of an undocumented immigrant.”
Aiming to “change the mindset,” Sara used examples to show that anyone can be a survivor or trafficker.
Human trafficking is defined as selling another human being through force, fraud or coercion. This isn't always done for monetary profit, Sara said, as people also are trafficked for things like drugs and alcohol, housing, domestic services like nannying or cleaning and agriculture.
“It's a lot of control. They use a lot of fear tactics. It's not always physical or force. A lot of times it is mind control and manipulation,” she said. “… a lot of times, a survivor doesn't know they're being trafficked, or they're afraid of law enforcement. They can be afraid to have their trafficker come for them or their families.”
Noting how “force, fraud and coercion” separate human trafficking from prostitution, Attacking Trafficking President Ann Mohr spoke on efforts to pass the “Safe Harbor Act” in Iowa, which would prevent minors from being charged with prostitution.
Because of the language of certain provisions within the bill, it stalled in the Senate last session.
“What happens when an individual is being trafficked and then charged with prostitution is they're being victimized twice. First by the trafficker and then by the system itself,” Mohr said.
Trafficking is the third-largest criminal industry worldwide, Sara said, and about 76% of it occurs online. Since 2017, Braking Traffik has seen 698 survivors, and Sara said she's seen an increase over the past year.
The presentation ended on the signs of human trafficking, how to respond and resources to help victims.
Human trafficking: How do you respond?
Braking Traffik/Family Resources survivor advocate Sara K shared a list of “do's and don'ts” for bystanders during suspected human trafficking situations in her presentation Wednesday at SAU:
Do:
- Start by believing victims.
- Prioritize their safety.
- Mirror their language.
- Treat them as the experts of their situation.
- Support their decisions.
- Avoid “why” questions.
- Refer to services.
Don't:
- Act shocked, sad or judgmental.
- Blame them.
- Tell them what they need or what to do.
- Share their information without consent.
- Attempt to confront a suspected trafficker yourself.
Robin Sade, of Attacking Trafficking, reiterates that for safety purposes, under no circumstance should a bystander try to come between the trafficker and their victim.
“They will do anything to keep that from happening because that's their property and their income, and it's really dangerous,” she said. “If you think there is a situation, just call 911. Just don't confront the trafficker.”
Awareness is key when it comes to human trafficking, Mohr said, and college campuses are a good setting for related discussions.
“Then, it spreads to the larger community,” she said. “The more you know about it, the more you can start to rule out things that aren't true and learn things that are true.”
Tina L. Thompson, a junior in SAU's social work program, talked about her experience seeing human trafficking survivors in her previous job as a first responder.
“It's (the presentation) a great reminder that human trafficking is there 24/7,” she said. “It's so easy for us humans to think, ‘Oh, it doesn't happen in our area,' but it could honestly be your cousin, sister, brother, your best friend. It could happen to really anybody. That was my takeaway; that it's a very broad-spectrum issue.”
It's also important for non-professionals to know the signs and speak up, Thompson said.
“A lot of the times people keep their heads down and are like, ‘It's not my problem,' or, ‘It's the professional's, people who actually went to school for that,' ” she said. “Yes, but you start the chain.”
Photos: St. Ambrose University silent “March to Remember” kicks off school's Civil Rights Week
ABOUT PBJ LEARNING
PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.
More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.
This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.
ABOUT PBJ LEARNING
PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.
More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.