SPOTLIGHT CASE Human Trafficking Awareness Thread

[YaYa_521]

Did we notice an increase in missing people here recently? This makes me curious as to whether anyone here keep stats on missing cases? If not, could we and if so, what are important data we would need to collect?

7 arrested for human trafficking in Atlanta before Super Bowl | One America News Network

 

[tarabull]

Groups aim to find missing kids in Las Vegas ahead of Super Bowl

Volunteers locate missing kids during 'The Big Search'

 

[Tugela]

Officials: 33 arrested for sex trafficking in Super Bowl sting

Officials: 33 arrested for sex trafficking in Super Bowl sting

With Super Bowl LIII just days away, federal officials have been keeping a fixed eye on concerns of sex trafficking in the metro Atlanta area.

On Wednesday, authorities with Homeland Security said that 33 people have been arrested for sex trafficking during the last four days of active investigation in the Atlanta area. Four people have been recovered to date.

What they mean by that is they have picked up 33 johns and 4 prostitutes in sting operations. It doesn't really have anything to do with sex trafficking, it is just regular prostitution with different words applied.

 

[TedMac]

21 Missing Teens Found In A Massive Youth Prostitution Sting In Winnipeg

:Winnipeg Police made a shocking discovery last month. According to reports, officers located and rescued 21 missing Winnipeg teens during a massive crackdown on the city's youth sex trade. The sting was a joint effort by local police and outreach workers to protect young people at risk of being sexually exploited..."

 

[dixiegirl1035]

21 Missing Teens Found In A Massive Youth Prostitution Sting In Winnipeg

:Winnipeg Police made a shocking discovery last month. According to reports, officers located and rescued 21 missing Winnipeg teens during a massive crackdown on the city's youth sex trade. The sting was a joint effort by local police and outreach workers to protect young people at risk of being sexually exploited..."

Like @Tugela post above.. they arrested the Johns and the girls, but no mention of the sex traffickers arrest?

 

[Tugela]

Like @Tugela post above.. they arrested the Johns and the girls, but no mention of the sex traffickers arrest?

If you read the story the girls "rescued" were actually youths who were found in areas frequented by "high risk" (whatever that means - I assume runaways and kids into drugs) youths. Most of them probably were not involved in prostitution at all, more likely it was drugs and living on the street.

There did not appear to be a connection between the johns and the girls. Rather, the johns were picked up incidently while the police were sweeping these areas for runaways.

That would be why no sex traffickers were arrested - the two groups of people mentioned in the story likely had nothing to do with each other. The men arrested probably were dealing with adult prostitutes, not the kids.

That is the problem with stories like this. While the police were sweeping downtown for runaways, in the course of doing that they picked up other people for prostitution related offences. Then the whole lot are conflated in newspaper reports as if they are connected when they are not.

 

[TedMac]

Forced into sex trafficking while trying to become a super model

"Airica Kraehmer was trafficked while pursuing a career in modeling and never thought she would end up a victim.

Kraehmer was young and beautiful but also trusting.

She said she trusted the wrong people and instead of a world of glitz and glamour, she ended up going through a horrific ordeal that would leave her changed forever.

It all started when a 20-year-old Kraehmer moved from the quiet beauty of Tennessee to the busy streets of New York City chasing her dream of becoming a model..."

 

[dotr]

Hotline to help human trafficking victims, educate public launches across Canada
May 29 2019 rbbm.
"A national hotline to help victims and survivors of human trafficking is now taking calls, with the organization behind the service saying it hoped the new resource would also fill crucial gaps in public knowledge about the issue.

The multilingual, accessible hotline, an initiative of the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, launched at 7 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

The centre’s chief executive officer said the line is meant to serve as a one-stop shop for everyone from victims seeking help, to tipsters wanting to flag a potential case, to members of the public wanting to learn more about the subject.

“There are still an awful lot of individuals in this country who believe that human trafficking is happening elsewhere,” Barbara Gosse said in an interview. “In actual fact … human trafficking is happening in communities right across this country. And that is a threat to every vulnerable girl, woman, man or boy.”

Gosse said the toll-free hotline will be available 24 hours a day throughout the year. Call takers will be able to field queries in more than 200 languages, including a number of Indigenous languages.


The line will also be accessible to the deaf, hard-of-hearing and non-verbal, Gosse said. An accompanying website has also been designed to be accessible to the blind and visually impaired, she added.


Gosse said the line was developed with help from an international company that has helped set up similar services in other countries such as the United States. Some of those lines, she said, have been taking calls for as long as a decade."
The RCMP’s human trafficking co-ordination centre has reported that between 2005 and 2018, the Mounties identified 531 cases where human trafficking charges were laid. Of those cases, 143 resulted in convictions and 316 remain before the courts.


The new hotline can be reached 24 hours a day at: 1-833-900-1010."

 

[Gardener1850]

Nonprofit training on how to identify trafficking victims ahead of Bonnaroo

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - From tattoos to branding on certain parts of a victim's body, a local nonprofit says those are a few red flags of sex trafficking.

"Neck, chest, back," said Gabrielle Thompson. "We've also seen it on genitals. We've seen it on arms."

She says physical abuse is another classic sign.

"You might see bite marks," Thompson said. "You might see burns. You might see very peculiar types of bruisings."

Thompson is executive director of Free for Life International, a nonprofit which helps victims of sex trafficking. She's training 2,000 volunteers how to spot the red flags of sex trafficking at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival next week.

She says big events often cause an uptick in trafficking.

Nonprofit training on how to identify trafficking victims ahead of Bonnaroo

 

[Gardener1850]

Man sentenced to 70 years for trafficking teen girls, drug possession

June 13, 2019

On Wednesday, a Travis County jury sentenced Raymond Paul Swan to 70 years in prison after hearing evidence of his repeated sexual assault of two teen girls, numerous prior incarcerations and six prior felony convictions.

The same jury found Swan guilty of possession of methamphetamine the day before.

On Jan. 6, 2017, Austin police officers responded to a crash in Austin. Witnesses indicated that two girls left the scene. Officer Brian O'Quinn matched the girls to the description given in an earlier Amber Alert.

The girls, 14 and 16, had been missing from Montgomery County since December 2016.

The girls were picked up in Conroe, taken to a hotel in Austin and told they would begin working as prostitutes. The girls fled and were taken to the same hotel by Swan, then 40.

Over the course of a week, Swan gave drugs to the girls and sexually assaulted them multiple times.

Digital forensic analysis of Swan's phone showed that, on the second day, he learned that the girls were missing from Montgomery County and that they were 14 and 16 years old.

Special Agents Otto Cabrera and Amy King of the Texas Department of Public Safety arrested Swan at the hotel and recovered meth and numerous items indicating a drug selling operation.

Man sentenced to 70 years for trafficking teen girls, drug possession

 

[Gardener1850]

WEBER COUNTY, Utah (ABC4 News) – Three men were arrested on Tuesday for sex trafficking after an undercover operation in Weber County.

According to a press release issued by Weber County Sheriff Lt. Cortney Ryan, their Investigations Bureau conducted an undercover operation targeting sex trafficking on Tuesday.

Detectives from the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, along with the assistance of the Salt Lake City Police Department VICE sought out to identify and locate victims of sex trafficking and locate those who are running operations to exploit underage victims.

Detectives set up at a local hotel and began to contact those posting to online websites offering services that were sexual in nature.

During the operation, three males, Ricky Davis, Shaun Shelton and Jose Roman were arrested and booked into the Weber County Jail on Solicitation of Prostitution.

One juvenile female was identified using one of the sexually oriented websites, her and her family were then contacted and law enforcement has set up services to help them.

Police: Three men arrested in sex trafficking sting, discover juvenile female soliciting online

 

[dotr]

Ws thread.
Arrests made in Ontario Human Trafficking Investigation, Three men, Two women face numerous charges
July 10 2019
Woman took money from victim being trafficked by her son: police
"Woman took money from victim being trafficked by her son: police
Police say that they are concerned that there could be additional victims out there.

 

[tarabull]

Fake job posting for real restaurant a reminder of human trafficking danger

 

[Gardener1850]

Police: Fayetteville 4-year-old was given to pimp in Texas

"The child was pretty much given to a pimp – an associate of the pimp or family of the pimp – for keeping," Fayetteville police Maj. Robert Ramirez said. "It is a ring, a human trafficking ring, the FBI was investigating. These individuals had other children as well."

Ramirez noted that, had Aubriana not been found as quickly as she was, she might have wound up a victim of human trafficking.

North Carolina consistently ranks among the top 10 states for human trafficking, with 221 cases in 2017, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Recinos said Lowe sold Aubriana to the pimp to settle a drug debt. Police haven't confirmed that.

If so, the case is strikingly similar to the death of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis a decade ago. The Fayetteville girl was handed over by her mother to Mario Andrette McNeill to settle a debt, and her body was found a week later in a field. She had been sexually assaulted and asphyxiated.

McNeill is now on death row at Central Prison, while Shaniya's mother, Antoinette Nicole Davis, is serving a 17- to 21-year prison sentence.

Recinos said the similarity in the cases is even eerier: Lowe and Shaniya were cousins.

Police: Fayetteville 4-year-old was given to pimp in Texas

Found Alive - NC - Carmen Lowe, 23, & Aubriana Recinos, 4, Fayetteville, 8 Jul 2019

 

[imstilla.grandma]

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019-Trafficking-in-Persons-Report.pdf

https://www.egovlink.com/public_doc...2019/2019 Human Trafficking Victim Report.pdf

https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default..._trafficking_awareness_external_resources.pdf

https://ifmsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Human-Trafficking-Health.pdf

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/IF10587.pdf

 

[imstilla.grandma]

https://www.antislavery.org/wp-cont...ims-of-trafficking-from-Vietnam-to-Europe.pdf

Human trafficking reports - Anti-Slavery International

https://www.traffickingmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Human-Trafficking-Financial_Flows.pdf

Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Human Trafficking: Announcements

 

[Gardener1850]

Panama City Police help bust multi-state human trafficking ring

Aug 19, 2019

A joint-investigation performed by Panama City Police and the FBI has ended with the arrest of a Pensacola man and the dismantling of a human trafficking ring.

The investigation began in 2017 when investigators sent a confidential informant into a massage business at 1800 Beck Avenue. Once inside an Asian woman offered to perform sexual acts on the informant for more money, investigators wrote.

As the investigation continued officers learned that the business was owned by 41-year-old David Williams of Pensacola.

[...]

The charges allege that Williams was exploiting undocumented women and offering sexual acts for money during massages at his parlors. The investigation originated from a tip received by the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The investigation remains ongoing.

“The defendant allegedly used his businesses to exploit women in several different states and force them into prostitution purely to line his own pockets,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “Thanks to strong collaboration with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we have put an end to this criminal enterprise and are seeking justice for the defendant’s victims.”

Panama City Police help bust multi-state human trafficking ring

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The Girls Scouts of Northern Illinois is looking for help to end human trafficking in the city.

The group is currently in the running for State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist grant.

The $25,000 grant will be handed out to 40 organizations that help battle human trafficking in their communities, and get the most votes.

Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois is currently in 19th place in the competition, but they need help to ensure that they get the funding.

Leaders with the Girl Scouts like grants manager Vicki Jacobson hope people in the city realize how much they can do to end human trafficking with just a few votes.

“We are the only organization poised to help girls with this,” Jacobson said. “And you can help save a girls life. Who doesn’t want to do that?”

People are able to vote here ten times per day until the contest ends on Friday, August 23.
Girl Scouts for look for Rockford’s support to end human trafficking

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Man sentenced to 2 years for human trafficking in Robertsdale

TBI: 4 men arrested in Bradley County, charged in human trafficking investigation

Operators of area boys home indicted for human trafficking

University of Providence wrestling coach allegedly connected to human trafficking case

Mission man tied to human trafficking case back in court - The Monitor

South Valley men arrested, teen rescued during human trafficking sting

Human Trafficking prevention gets major funding in Douglas County

Third Toronto man arrested in London, Ont., human trafficking investigation | The Star

Cal Poly to Bring Student-Designed Anti-Human Trafficking Training Set to Statewide Law Enforcement Conference Aug. 20-22 | Cal Poly News

Panama City Police help bust multi-state human trafficking ring

Putting the brakes on human trafficking - Truck News

Bedfordshire Police makes first use of powers to tackle human trafficking - Bedford Independent

HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE RECEIVES GRANT

CROSSVILLE MAN ONE OF FOUR ARRESTED FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Fitzpatrick calls for DNA testing at southern board to help combat human trafficking

Nation's Top Tech Experts and Policy Makers Create Groundbreaking Virtual Reality Program to Help Victims of Human Trafficking and Trauma

https://shawneemissionpost.com/2019...lors-in-efforts-to-curb-sex-trafficking-81896

Southern Utah ‘ideal’ for sex traffickers to find victims, AG’s office says

Third man arrested in gang sexual assault, human trafficking investigation

Affidavit alleges Pensacola man made $1 million trafficking Asian women for sex

More than 60 arrested in Fort Bend trafficking operation

Utah Attorney General warns sex trafficking major issue in Southern Utah | Gephardt Daily

Magician Creates One-of-a-Kind Deck of Cards to Fight Human Trafficking

The ‘fallen’ Miss Venezuela: a tragedy of sexual slavery and trafficking

 

[imstilla.grandma]

8/20/2019
Human Trafficking class coming soon

Bill Tracker: Human trafficking hotline signs in every bathroom stall

Facebook post draws attention to human trafficking in Central Illinois

https://flatheadbeacon.com/2019/08/20/wrestling-coach-leave-amid-sex-trafficking-investigation/

Man under probe for human trafficking : The Standard

Charges laid against man in London, Ont., accused of human trafficking

Texas couple who ran ex-gay camp for ‘troubled boys’ arrested, accused of trafficking children

Man faces 11 charges after woman says she was held captive at his home

Northern California teen rescued during Tulare County human trafficking sting

Local group helping Brazos County inmates to stop human trafficking

End Slavery TN panel highlights human trafficking in Williamson County

Man out on bond for sexual abuse of a child arrested for human trafficking in East Alabama

Law enforcement says human trafficking sting was a success