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Human Trafficking
Look Beneath the Surface: Slavery exists today

What is It? Human trafficking is modern day slavery—the commercial exploitation of people, mostly women and children, for sex or other forced labor. Victims are not just worlds away but are here—in the US, in Florida, and even right here in our own Jacksonville community. Controlled through the use of force, fraud and coercion, victims are rarely able to escape to seek help. Public awareness of this crime in order to identify victims may be their only salvation.

Who Are The Victims? Victims can foreign-born and “sold” overseas or in the US. They can even be US citizens themselves. While human trafficking victims can be anyone, 80% of the victims are in fact women and children and over 50% are children. Two million school-aged girls, as young as five, are sold into prostitution every year. Author Benjamin Skinner reported that for as little as $50 US dollars he was able to purchase a nine year-old girl in Haiti.

How Wide-Spread Is It? There is little difference between the slavery that occurs today and the slavery we study in our American history textbooks. Despite that it is no longer legal, it is shocking to learn that there are even more slaves at this point in time than ever before. So much so that human trafficking is the third largest criminal ($32 billion) industry in the world. Yet because it is so well hidden, few among the general public know what it is, much less realize that it exists within our own communities.

Where Should You Look?
In homes—working as nannies, maids, caretakers.
At restaurants, hotels, resorts, restaurants
In sweatshops & factories
At construction sites In agricultural fields
At nail spas, massage parlors, beauty shops
On the street prostitution or in brothels, especially near military bases or migrant worker housing
In pornographic films, photos, on the internet
In your neighborhood

How You May Identify a Victim? Look Beneath the Surface
Asking these questions may help you identify a human trafficking victim:
• What type of work do you do?
• Are you being paid?
• Can you leave your job if you want to?
• Can you come and go as you please?
• Have you or your family been threatened?
• What are your working and living conditions like?
• Where do you sleep and eat?
• Do you have to ask permission to eat/sleep/go to the bathroom?
• Are there locks on the doors/window so you cannot get out?
• Has your identification or documentation been taken from you?

If you are not in a position to question a potential trafficking victim, look for the following clues:
• Evidence of being controlled.
• Evidence of inability to move or leave a job.
• Bruises or other signs of physical abuse.
• Fear or depression.
• Not speaking on own behalf and/or non-English speaking.
• No passport or other forms of identification or documentation.

How To Report It? If you think someone is a victim of human trafficking, call the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888 to obtain information, access victim services or report suspected cases. For answers to some frequently asked questions about human trafficking, please visit Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships.

What Is Being Done in Jacksonville?
In 2006, members of various legal, service and law enforcement agencies and organizations formed the Northeast Florida Human Trafficking Task Force to address this issue facing our community. The Task Force’s Mission is to: develop a systematic approach to identifying, rescuing, and restoring victims of human trafficking in Northeast Florida through professional training, community awareness, technical assistance, coordinating services, and investigating and prosecuting traffickers.

How to Spread The Word? As a result of this horrific crime, the Zonta Club of Jacksonville, a member of the Northeast Florida Human Trafficking Taskforce, has formed a Human Trafficking Speaker’s Bureau to increase awareness of human trafficking, and ultimately increase reporting of these human rights violations. Presentations include what to look for and what to do if a case is suspected. Please contact us secretary@zontajacksonville.com to find out more about this issue, to schedule a presentation for your group, or volunteer to become a speaker.