Human Trafficking Program

RECOGNIZE THE RED FLAGS

There are many possible indicators of a human trafficking situation. Victims of human trafficking can be anyone—regardless of race, color, national origin, disability, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, education level, or citizenship status. But as is the case in many crimes of exploitation and abuse, human traffickers often prey upon members of marginalized communities and other vulnerable individuals, such as children in the child welfare or juvenile justice system or individuals without lawful immigration status.

https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking/what-is-human-trafficking

As you read the possible signs and symptoms of a victim below, it is helpful to remember there is no single profile of a trafficked person.

• Symptoms of physical abuse, malnourishment, exhaustion

• Withdrawn, depressed, or distracted

• Evidence of being controlled, restricted in movement, or difficulty communicating (no phone/email)

• What appears to be branding or unusual tattoos

• Chronic runaway of homeless youth

• Inconsistent stories; hesitant to explain one’s work or living situation

• Appearing fearful, submissive, nervous, paranoid

• A juvenile in a new or unusual relationship with an adult

• Unexplained access to expensive items or money

Human traffickers can be relatives, friends, individuals operating alone, or those affiliated with gangs or criminal organizations (national or transnational). Traffickers often take advantage of the instability caused by natural disasters, conflict, or a pandemic to exploit others. They tend to target marginalized and vulnerable individuals.

Human trafficking happens in all communities and does not discriminate based on age, class, gender, race, education, sexual orientation, or geographical location. It can occur in rural, suburban, and urban communities. Targeted victims may have an unstable home life, a history of sexual or physical abuse, nowhere to live, be a runaway youth, a substance user, have a lack of employment opportunities, or simply be a person who needs belonging and acceptance. Vulnerable individuals may have experienced sexual violence and trauma in the past, homelessness, involvement in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, experienced substance abuse themselves or within their families, or be immigrants, LGBTQ youth, or developmentally or intellectually delayed individuals.

It’s hard to imagine what many of us think is an international crime can happen in all communities. The Eastern Shore is an attractive place for trafficking because of its geographic location in proximity to transportation routes by land, air, and sea that offer opportunities for human traffickers to go undetected.

In the United States, traffickers compel victims to engage in commercial sex and to work in both legal and illicit industries and sectors, including in hospitality, traveling sales crews, agriculture, janitorial services, construction, landscaping, restaurants, factories, care for persons with disabilities, salon services, massage parlors, retail services, fairs and carnivals, peddling and begging, drug smuggling and distribution, religious institutions, child care, and domestic work.

The U.S. State Department reports that human traffickers do not need to move a victim across a border for a human trafficking offense to take place. Trafficking in persons is a crime of exploitation and coercion and not movement.  Traffickers can use schemes that take victims hundreds of miles away from their homes or exploit them in the same neighborhoods where they were born.

It’s hard to imagine that the global crime of human trafficking is happening across the state of Maryland and throughout the Eastern Shore. Major highways like I-95, Routes 40, 50, 301, and 13 all make transporting victims and meeting buyers easy. Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region is an attractive destination for traffickers for several reasons including:

• Three major international airports (Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia),

• Inexpensive bus transportation

• Train service along the East Coast

• Large sporting events

• A seaport

• Truck stops

• High rate of seasonal work

On the Mid-Shore, For All Seasons Rape Crisis Center has seen an uptick in trafficking victims through online sexual exploitation. Greater amounts of time online during the Covid epidemic and beyond have put youth at greater risk of being lured by online predators. These imposters often give the impression they are younger and romantically interested in the minor being targeted to earn their trust to gain illicit photographs or videos of the minor. Youth sometimes end up meeting up in-person with perpetrators they befriended online and this often leads to trafficking situations.

Parents and caregivers are highly encouraged to talk to their children about the risks of sharing personal information online and educate them on why they should not communicate with anyone they do not know, even if it appears to be another youth.

Parents must monitor their children’s use of all digital devices including laptops, tablets, desktop computers, gaming consoles, and smartphones. Traffickers tend to target marginalized and vulnerable individuals who may have experienced trauma or abuse, but any child can be at risk of being groomed by a predator.