By Shaun Ryan<\/p>\n
Those who believe human trafficking is something that happens in big, far-away cities may be surprised to learn that Jacksonville ranks 48th in reported cases. As a state, Florida ranks third.<\/p>\n
Locally, the highest rates of human trafficking occur in places local residents drive through daily, areas where JTB and Baymeadows Road intersect with I-95.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is real \u2014 our city, Jacksonville, Florida,\u201d said Kristin Keen, founder and CEO of Rethreaded, an organization that helps survivors put their lives back together.<\/p>\n
Keen was among a group of experts invited to speak Sunday, Jan. 11, at the link in Nocatee for a human trafficking awareness event, the first offering in the link\u2019s Humanity Lab Series. The series is dedicated to supporting nonprofit organizations and the work they do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Humanity Lab is a series where awareness turns into action,\u201d Gurpreet Misra, co-founder of the link with husband Raghu, told attendees.<\/p>\n
And awareness is one of the biggest components of a solution to human trafficking. Those attending the series\u2019 inaugural event came away with a much greater understanding of the problem, perhaps motivated to advocate for those solutions.<\/p>\n
The statistics are sobering. The U.S. State Department estimates that human trafficking is a $150-billion business worldwide, annually. Some sources put that number much higher.<\/p>\n
The core of trafficking, Keen said, is greed. It\u2019s a factor that must be addressed if human trafficking is to be stopped.<\/p>\n
Toward that end, the City of Jacksonville has created a No Trafficking Sports and Entertainment District. This is especially appropriate because trafficking increases dramatically during events.<\/p>\n
A phony advertisement placed locally for one day, even without promotion, in an attempt to net perpetrators, attracted 185 purchase attempts. That same ad, issued during a major sporting event, received 314 attempts.<\/p>\n
Tracye Polson, director of state and federal advocacy in the Office of the Mayor of Jacksonville, said the city has posted signs at professional sports venues, targeting not just potential victims, but also the buyers of sex.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is part of ending the demand,\u201d Polson explained. \u201cBecause if there\u2019s no demand, there\u2019s no trafficking.\u201d<\/p>\n
The signs help connect the public with victim advocates as well as law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach of us has a role to play in prevention, support and long-term healing,\u201d said Polson, who served as emcee for Sunday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n
One misconception many have is that human trafficking often resembles the plot of the 2008 film \u201cTaken,\u201d a point several of the event\u2019s panelists mentioned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuman trafficking is really different than a lot of people think,\u201d said Keen. \u201cA lot of people think it\u2019s kidnapping.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, just 5% of these cases involves kidnapping. Keen said 45% of victims are trafficked by family members, 39% by a \u201cromantic\u201d partner. She said between 75% and 95% of women who end up in the commercial sex trade \u201cindustry\u201d have been victims of sexual abuse.<\/p>\n
And exiting the life is not easy. Keen identified as many as 72 independent barriers these women face as they attempt to put their lives back together.<\/p>\n
Kelly Posze, national director and co-founder of Her Song, a ministry of the Tim Tebow Foundation, answered the question many people have: Why don\u2019t victims simply leave their traffickers?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not that simple,\u201d according to Posze. \u201cThey\u2019re controlling where you go, what you eat, when you eat, who you see. They\u2019re controlling what you do. Traffickers are master manipulators.\u201d<\/p>\n
And exit, she said, is just the beginning of a long and arduous journey.<\/p>\n
Toward that end, most of Sunday\u2019s presenters are actively involved with helping survivors.<\/p>\n
Some, like Hadassah\u2019s Hope and Her Song, are outreach organizations, often making that first important contact that helps victims who haven\u2019t yet made the break. Meanwhile, Rethreaded and Her Song provide a critical restorative element \u2014 the former especially focused on training and employment, the latter offering residential survivor care. Finally, Arize Together gives survivors what co-founder Chantelle Kammerdeiner called \u201ca forever community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because traffickers prey on victims\u2019 vulnerabilities, narcotics are often used.<\/p>\n
Posze said, \u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of women tell me, \u2018The first person to stick a needle in my arm was my trafficker; after that, I would do anything that they were asking me to do because they were numbing the pain.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick described how his office is addressing this issue through a multi-pronged approach. He alerted parents to an oft identified, yet underappreciated, risk: the smart phone.<\/p>\n
Holding his up, Hardwick said, \u201cThis amazing device opens you up to the world \u2026 but then, it opens the world to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
A child innocently sending a photo to a friend may fall victim to extortion.<\/p>\n
Those wishing to know more about, or support, organizations that help survivors can do so at the following websites:<\/p>\n