Naples Daily News Guest Commentary, Jan. 21, 2018

Naples Daily News Guest Commentary
By Linda Oberhaus
Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018

Even as our community gathered to celebrate freedom and equality during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration last week, countless Collier County residents are living in bondage, enslaved by traffickers.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. As you read this commentary, it is important to note that human trafficking is the fastest growing and third largest organized criminal activity in the world, just behind the drug and arms trades. It is very lucrative. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a trafficker can make up to $150,000-$200,000 per person each year, and the average trafficker has four to six victims.

Unlike what is portrayed by the movie industry, victims are seldom “taken,” but more likely lured into trafficking with promises of employment or through feigned romantic or trusted relationships. Some victims are introduced to traffickers by a “friend” or relative. The most vulnerable populations include runaway and homeless youth, as well as victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Once caught in the trap, traffickers control their victims with a variety of tactics including violence, threats, debt bondage, and drugs. Once caught, it is very difficult to get out.

Trafficking can happen to anyone, anywhere, and yes, it is happening in Naples, FL.

According to Polaris, which operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline, the state of Florida ranks third in the nation, with 550 cases in 2016. Texas is second with 670 cases and California first, with 1,300 cases. We know this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Here in Collier County, we are fighting back. The Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Unit leads the region in the number of human trafficking investigations and arrests. From 2014-2016, the unit investigated more than 80 sex trafficking cases and arrested 20 traffickers; however, the fight to rid our community of this horrific crime is daunting.

Two years after their arrests for sex trafficking and racketeering, Keith Lewis and Gregory Hines still await trial in Collier County jail. Of the 22 women they victimized, only four have agreed to testify against their perpetrators, and two have died of drug overdoses.

Even with their traffickers in jail, officials say these victims are in so deep, they cannot see a way out. Most were usurped by other traffickers and remain on the streets, suffering serious physical and emotional injuries as well as addiction and mental health issues related to the trauma they have experienced.

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. This summer we will break ground on this unique 32-bed, 21,000-square-foot facility located on 5.6 acres in Immokalee. This new shelter will feature a wing specifically designed to meet the specialized needs of human trafficking victims, as well as a separate wing for survivors of domestic violence.

Unfortunately, few victims of human trafficking ever come forward. They are invisible victims of unspeakable crimes, and it is up to each of us to learn to recognize the signs of human trafficking and report anything suspicious. Please go to naplesshelter.org/trafficking for more information about how you can help identify human trafficking and become part of the solution.

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.