San Diego County is one of the leading areas for sex trafficking in the country, according to local studies, but a conference Thursday aimed to shine a spotlight on other, lesser-known aspects of human trafficking, too.
Labor trafficking, money laundering and criminal enterprises are part of the illicit human trafficking industry that are not always discussed. Thursday’s event at the San Diego Central Library, attended by leaders in the anti-trafficking movement like District Attorney Summer Stephan, aimed to highlight “what we are missing in human trafficking.”
“What is missing in our efforts? What laws do we need? What efforts, law enforcement, community resources, digital resources do we need to move forward in this new time, attacking human trafficking?” Stephan said.
Stephan said that while most sex trafficking victims are U.S. citizens, labor trafficking victims are mostly immigrants. That type of human trafficking is not as frequently discussed.
“Being brought across the border, for example, and forced to help build homes. Or forced to clean homes. Or forced to work in massage parlors, or live in massage parlors,” said San Diego City Attorney Heather Ferbert, who also attended the event.
According to studies from Point Loma Nazarene University and San Diego Youth Services, San Diego is one of the top 13 highest areas for sex trafficking in the country, which represents an economy worth an estimated $810M a year in revenue, only second to drug trafficking.
The studies also found that those who have experienced homelessness and foster care are at the highest risk of becoming sex trafficking victims. A panel at Thursday’s event focused on those statistics to discuss strategies to stop or reduce human trafficking.
The event was also hosted by the Bilateral Safety Corridor Commission.