6,000 people become victims of human trafficking each day in Alabama, according to the Global Slavery Index. But experts say there are ways to protect yourselves and others from being victimized.
The University of Montevallo’s SGA hosted a digital town hall on sex trafficking on Jan. 27. Abby Grace Worrell and Ellie Friedman from Guardian Group, an organization in Birmingham designed to slow and put a stop to sex trafficking, said awareness is key to preventing these crimes.
Guardian Group experts say 44% of women who are trafficked report never being offered help when they were being victimized. They suggest this makes trafficking a community problem.
Friedman said knowing the indicators of sex trafficking is extremely important to empowering the public to stop these crimes and help victims. She said there are community-wide things to look for when you suspect someone is a victim of trafficking, such as:
- a girl being ‘branded’ with tattoos of a rose, crown, money or someone’s name, often on the neck or chest
- a girl inappropriately dressed for her age or weather conditions
- a minor with someone during school hours or late at night
- a young person being demeaned or controlled by someone (often an older man)
- someone who cannot tell you where they are from or where they have recently been
- hearing keywords such as The Game, The Life, Track, John or Trick, Bottom Girl, Trap or Square.
Friedman said noticing these and other indicators quickly and getting help could be the difference between life or death. She said if something feels off, report it.
“You’re not gonna have an hour or even 30 minutes to look at a victim and go ‘Huh, I wonder if that’s trafficking?’. You’re gonna have a few seconds to see them, and it’s going to spark something that makes you think ‘That’s weird,'” Friedman said. “You kind of have to know these indicators and know them well enough that you can apply them.”
Worrell said that the world of trafficking is bigger than most of us realize.
“This is a $15 billion business worldwide. What we’re looking at is in fact modern day slavery. Human trafficking is the second largest crime in the world,” Worrell said.
Worrell said it is often everyday people who end up saving lives and preventing human trafficking, just by reporting suspicious activity. She said people often miss opportunities to help victims by questioning how serious the situation really is.
“We are encouraging you to change the way you think about that. You cannot see the phycological abuse that a trafficking victim may be facing. So, if you see something, please say something,” Worrell said.
Guardian Group offers training seminars to local organizations and individuals so they can join the fight against sex trafficking. To learn more, visit the Guardian Group website.
SGA representatives said this is just one in a series of issue-focused town halls they hope to host this semester. To find out more about what the SGA has planned, you can visit their Facebook page here.
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