Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the victims of human trafficking?
Victims of human trafficking can be any age, gender, race, or immigration status; they live in cities, suburbs, and rural areas.Human traffickers target the vulnerable, people who find them- selves in circumstances of extreme adversity or violence, experience discrimination, economic vulnerability, or
physical, emotional or dependence.
Does human trafficking really exist in Brevard county?
This past year Florida Today reported several Brevard county cases including a 14 year old sold for sex in Cocoa in a dingy hotel, an Ethiopian woman escaping her bondage as a live-in maid and 24 teens sandwiched into a van with half as many seatbelts, sent into strange communities without food or water to sell cheap good so their bosses could pocket hundreds of thousands in profit. In the past 18 months there have been 125 confirmed victims of human trafficking in central Florida according to the statistics from the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation and Florida’s department of Children and Family Services. A major of these victims are children.
How do traffickers find their victims?
Social media or networks, home neighborhood, clubs or bars, internet and even at school are just a few ways traffickers find their victims.
What about the girls who choose prostitution? Are they victims too?
Society may call it prostitution but the federal government and United Nations calls it sex trafficking.Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) sex trafficking requires force, fraud or coercion unless the victim is a minor. Any minor used in commercial sex act (the exchange of any time of value for a sex act) is a victim of trafficking, regardless of their willingness or desire to engage in the sex act.
Why don’t victims just escape when they have the opportunity?
Traffickers and pimps use physical, emotional and psychological abuse to coerce young women and girls into a life of sex trafficking. Traffickers are master manipulators and employ tactics to create trauma bonds with victims. They often use the threat of violence against victims or victim’s loved ones to secure their submission
. How can slavery exist in our modern day society?
Slavery exists for several factors including the trafficker luring victims with promise of protection,adventure, career and other opportunities as well as a home.They also use violence, fear, threats and intimidation to ensure compliance and meet the demands of the industry.
Many trafficking crimes go unpunished because of social stigma, misinformation and or the fear of the victims safety. Victims rarely self-identify as victims making it even harder for state attorney’s to prosecute the offenders.
Can a child consent to a sex act?
Under U.S. federal law, any minor under the age of 18 years induced into commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking—regardless of whether or not the trafficker used force, fraud, or coercion.
What factors add to a child’s vulnerability?
Several factors add to a child’s vulnerability including age and internet safety threats. Pre-teen or adolescent girls are more susceptible to the calculated advances, deception, and manipulation tactics used by traffickers/pimps – no youth is exempt from falling prey to these tactics. Pimps are continually trolling the internet posing as a teen girl or boy interested in friendship. The relationship is developed without threat until the unsuspecting child agrees to meet them, to send compromising photos or shares their deepest secrets with them. That’s when the predator can move in and begin to separate them from their safety nets.
Where in my community does sex trafficking occur?
Sex trafficking occurs in a range of venues including fake massage businesses, via online ads or escort services, in residential brothels, on the street or at truck stops, or at hotels and motels.
How does labor trafficking occur?
Labor traffickers often make false promises of a high-paying job or exciting education or travel opportunities to lure people into horrendous working conditions. Yet, victims find that the reality of their jobs proves to be far different than promised and must frequently work long hours for little to no pay. Their employers exert such physical or psychological control – including physical abuse, debt bondage, confiscation of passports or money – that the victim believes they have no other choice but to continue working for that employer.
Who do I call if I suspect someone to be a victim of human trafficking?
If you believe you are a victim of Human Trafficking or suspect an adult is a victim of human trafficking, please visit the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, or call them at 1-888-3737-888.
Who do I call if I suspect a youth is a victim of human trafficking?
If you suspect a child is a victim, please call the ![]()
Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE.
