Sex Trafficking is Alive and Well Thanks to Social Media

According to the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), human trafficking is “a form of modern-day slavery where people profit by controlling and exploiting others.” Unfortunately, Social media and phone apps including Facebook, KIK, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are used as tools for sexual predators and human traffickers to contact and exploit children said Constable Mark Herman of Harris County, Texas in a news release last week.

The report stated that sex traffickers on Facebook contacted a 19-year-old Alaska teenager and lured her to Texas. Texas deputies and investigators in Harris County, including Houston, in an effort with Anchorage law enforcement officers, found the teenager in a motel along with two other women; however, the other women would not cooperate, so they were released.

“The victim received services and was taken to a shelter pending her transport back to Alaska,” stated authorities.

Sex trafficking through social media is becoming an increasing problem, and often times victims of sex trafficking are forced to work in the commercial sex trade against their will. Many of the young victims are told by these predators they are going to be a model or singer, or are sold on ideas of grandeur to get them away from their homes and families.

DFPS stated that physical and emotional violence are a large part of the industry, and to keep the victims, normally vulnerable individuals, working, the traffickers threaten them, lie, beat them and control their money.

The average age range of girls exploited in the U.S. are 12 to 14 years of age. In a 2014 in-depth guide, the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force noted that human trafficking victims can be both U.S. citizens as well as foreign nationals, and can be of any age, race, nationality, gender or socioeconomic status.

Additionally, these young people tend to have a hard time self-identifying, and tend to voluntarily run away from home or foster care. They may also decline help from friends and family, and they fail to cooperate with law enforcement. When they run away repeatedly, they’re also hard to find, and issue witnessed here recently with some teens in San Angelo.

Karla Payne, executive director at the Concho Valley Rape Crisis Center, said although she hasn’t heard that much about sex and/or human trafficking in San Angelo, she has heard about cases in the surrounding areas, including Lubbock.

“As far as here at the Rape Crisis Center, we haven’t really seen or heard that much about trafficking, but I know it goes on,” Payne stated. “It’s just very hard for us to reach the victims.”  

Payne added that it’s hard to reach the victims because of fear of the person who is trafficking them. For a victim to reach out, they risk a lot.

“I’m sure they threaten them with all kinds of things,” Payne explained. “They’re not supposed to talk to certain people. They’re not supposed to go to specific places. They’re followed; they’re restricted and just can’t go anywhere they want."

Chief Tim Vasquez also said San Angelo Police officers haven’t seen anything major in that regards, but they do deal with a lot of prostitution.

“We saw an increase of that during the oil boom and did a couple of stings on those," he said.

Vasquez added that the ages of the women varied from their early 20s to their 50s. 

Busier times do tend to bring more prostitution and trafficking to locations.

Payne said that Rape Crisis staff know trafficking is going to happen more when there’s big events like the rodeo and the boat races

“We’ve seen some ads on Craigslist that are kind of subtle, but that’s what it’s for,” Payne stated.

She said the ads they have noticed say things like, “Looking for a good time, [must be] young and willing to do things."

By young, these predators are talking about 13-year-olds, or the primary targets age group of 12 to 17 years of age.

She said her staff often runs into these young and vulnerable people who run away from home because their home life isn’t the best, and then run into people who make everything seem so wonderful at first and glamorous, especially through the internet.

“They get sucked up in it, and they like the money, and then the pimp puts conditions on it, and then they get in so far that it’s hard to get out,” Payne noted. “When [the predators] start to pimp them out, the victims feel like they can’t leave, or they owe it to them; or, there are other things keeping them there."

Additionally, people are under the misconception traffickers are strangers, but that’s not the case, Payne stated. Traffickers can be employers, relatives, immediate family, business entities as well as strangers, acquaintances and organized criminal networks.

“Family members, friends and acquaintances are effective at trafficking because they have easy access to these young, vulnerable kids,” Payne continued. “They know how to manipulate.”

To help deal with sex and human trafficking, Payne said her staff goes through training whenever there’s something offered.

“Specifically human trafficking may be once or twice a year, and TAASA [Texas Association Against Sexual Assault] puts on a conference once a year and we go to that,” she said.

Those conferences help educate them on what to look for when dealing with certain victims. Payne said, in turn, they try to educate people locally, especially about social media.

“Once it’s out there, it’s out there. You can’t take it back,” she said about information and images on the internet. “Girls are pressured to send pictures of themselves to a boyfriend or whoever, and other people can get a hold of that. They just need to be careful. There are people who pose as a younger guy or girl to get information."

Payne also said it’s important for young people to always know who they’re communicating with online and to not give out information to someone they haven’t met.

“We also talk a lot about self-esteem and self worth, and try to talk about those vulnerabilities,” Payned added. “If you’re not so vulnerable, you’re not so much of a target."

Payne said overall young people have a hard time looking at the bigger picture. They don’t see the long-term consequences or what’s going to happen a year to five years from now in that situation.

Also, not all stories end where a girl is returned home to her family, as in the case with the teenager from Alaska. Some situations have dire outcomes.

With that being said, if people have a concern or are suspicious of activity that fits what was described here, they should contact SAPD, the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Intervention Unit at (325)658-3921, or they can contact the Rape Crisis Center at (325)655-2000. The staff there can help them with a report, education, or finding the right resources.

For more information about this topic, visit http://taasa.org/resources-2/human-….