Naples Daily News Guest Commentary by Linda Oberhaus
Naples Daily News Guest Commentary
Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019
By Linda Oberhaus
Having worked with victims of domestic violence and human trafficking for the past 23 years, it is rare that a case surprises me, but a recent news report out of Texas did raise an eyebrow this week.
On Jan. 2, an eighth grade public school reading teacher was arrested for attempting to sell a female minor to multiple men in Morocco. According to reports, she had been under surveillance by authorities and was arrested and charged with trafficking when she tried to take the girl to Morocco.
The case certainly underscores the fact that there is no clear description of a trafficker and trafficking can happen to anyone, anywhere.
During January’s National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, The Shelter for Abused Women & Children strives to raise public awareness of this crime against humanity. As you read this, human trafficking is the fastest growing and third largest organized criminal activity in the world, just behind the drug and arms trades. Florida ranks third in the nation for calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline and Collier County is not exempt. In the last two years, The Shelter for Abused Women & Children has served 16 victims of sex trafficking.
A common myth regarding human trafficking is that victims are brought in from other countries. However, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, in 2018, over half of the victims identified were U.S. citizens.
Another myth is that trafficking always involves violence and physical bondage. U.S. law defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts or service against his or her will. If the victim is a minor, it is always considered human trafficking regardless of the presence of force, fraud or coercion.
While we all agree that traffickers must be brought to justice, it is equally important that we hold the “consumers,” those who purchase people for sex, accountable. These perpetrators are creating the demand for the exploitation of women and children, oftentimes deluding themselves that the victim is somehow a willing participant.
Currently, in the state of Florida, the charge for a first-time offense of soliciting sex is a first degree misdemeanor. That means the crime of buying a human being has the same criminal onus as the theft of a $100 watch.
Despite the inequity of criminal charges, there has been some legislative progress regarding fines. In 2012, Florida passed the Safe Harbor Act, increasing the cost of the fine for soliciting sex from $500 to $5,000, with the funds to be used to create safe houses for juvenile victims.
Headway in the fight against trafficking can only be accomplished through education, intervention and availability of long-term recovery services. The Shelter is committed to providing these services through our newest facility, the Shelly Stayer Shelter for Victims of Human Trafficking & Domestic Violence, a 32-bed, 21,000-square-foot facility to be located on 5.6 acres in Immokalee. This new shelter will feature a wing specifically designed to meet the needs of human trafficking victims, as well as a separate wing for survivors of domestic violence.
Human beings are not a commodity. If you agree and want more information on the signs of human trafficking and how you can become part of the solution, go to naplesshelter.org.
If you know or suspect that someone is a victim of human trafficking or domestic violence, call The Shelter’s 24-hour crisis hotline at 239-775-1101 or the national human trafficking hotline at 1-888-373-7888 ( TTY: 711).
