● It is important to proactively communicate what action steps you would like taken (call 911, check-in, pick the children up, etc.). ● If you have children who are also in the trafficking situation, explain to them that it is not their responsibility to protect you, and make sure that they know how to call someone for help, where to hide during a violent incident, and practice your plan of departure with them.
exits); rooms where weapons are kept; and rooms without an exit. ● Examples of safer rooms: Front room, yard or apartment hallway where a neighbor might see or hear an incident. ● Develop a special signal (lights flickering on and off, code word, code text message, hand signal, etc.) to use with a trusted neighbor, relative, friend, or service provider to notify them that you are in danger.
REPORTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING
● The information you provide will be reviewed by the National Hotline. All reports are confidential and you may remain anonymous. Interpreters are available via phone call only. For a suspected child trafficking victims, the NHTH directs the reporter to: ● Call the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE and report missing children or child pornography to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678) or through its cybertipline.org website. Again, in the case that the reporter or victim is in imminent danger, it is important to contact local law enforcement agencies for immediate assistance by dialing 911. National, state, and local law enforcement and support agencies coordinate responses through the NHTH network as noted above. Florida law enforcement and criminal justice agencies are competent to assist in human trafficking cases. The Florida Senate Chapter 787 Kidnapping; Custody Offenses; Human Trafficking; and Related Offenses Section 06 Human Trafficking addresses all Florida law enforcement agencies that are required to be trained to respond, investigate, and assist trafficking victims and get them to a safe location. The chapter lays out the penalties for trafficking, which is a felony.
Different jurisdictions may have different plans in place for reporting and assisting victims of human trafficking even if the there is only the suspicion that someone may be a victim. The Florida Chapter 2019-152 requires massage therapy venues to post signage with information for reporting human trafficking. When individuals suspect an adult is a victim of human trafficking, they should contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737- 888, TTY:711, where anti-trafficking hotline advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking (NHTH, 2020). The NHTH is not a government agency and does not provide direct services to victims. The NHTH works with a network of law enforcement, criminal justice agencies and designated providers for assistance and support. The NHTH contacts the local vetted agencies specifically trained to assist victims and provides the following information on reporting trafficking in addition to making a call: ● Text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 233733. Message and data rates may apply. ● Chat the National Human Trafficking Hotline at www.humantrafficking.org/chat ● Submit a tip online through the anonymous online reporting form provided on the website https:// humantraffickinghotline.org/report-trafficking. However, please note that if the situation is urgent or occurred within the last 24 hours we would encourage you to call, text or chat.
IDENTIFYING SUSPICIOUS MASSAGE VENUES AND EMPLOYMENT SITES
such as what products or services they provide and who ultimately controls and makes money from the business. The actual or “beneficial” owner would then, in most cases, be the trafficker and could be prosecuted as such. In reality, the laws governing business registration are almost tailor-made for massage parlor traffickers to hide behind. Neither states nor the federal government require people setting up companies to include the name of the actual owner of the business in the registration paperwork. What is actually required depends on the jurisdiction. Sometimes the owner’s name is left blank. Sometimes it is filled in with the name of a registered agent or someone else paid to be the front person or point of contact. Sometimes the business is registered under the name of an anonymous shell company, another business that exists in name only but has no actual assets. All of this obfuscation is perfectly legal. The HTHL offers the following tips for identifying suspicious employment venues, in addition to the information above. These tips were written for individuals seeking employment to avoid human trafficking, but they can also be used to determine the legitimacy of a massage venue. The local Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, and local law enforcement agency can also be contacted to find information on the business, if complaints have been filed or legal action has been taken. The HTHL notes some
Unfortunately, there are many rundown buildings in strip malls or side streets with partially covered or darkened windows, and neon signs advertising massage services. The entrance may be in the back of the building to conceal the customers and employees from street view. Sometimes, there is a buzzer or call button to access the buildings, which are kept locked at all times. In some cases, women seem to live in these buildings and do not regularly exit the building or only do so under supervision. There is often a guard who screens anyone entering the building. The “services” are offered at below current market rates such as $40 for an hour of massage when the rates at legitimate venues may be $80 to $100 an hour. Sometimes these businesses appear to be legitimate and operate in plain sight as explained below in a recent Polaris Project study. According to the Polaris study from 2018: There may be women who choose to sell sex either along with or under the guise of massage therapy, but evidence suggests that behind these bland facades, many of the thousands of women engaging in commercial sex in illicit massage parlors are victims of human trafficking. And for the most part, thanks to corporate secrecy, their traffickers cannot be traced. What is unique about this form of trafficking is that massage parlor traffickers actually go through the process of registering their businesses as if they were legitimate. Conceivably then, it should be relatively simple to determine the basics about these businesses,
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Book Code: MFL1225
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