Scribd
Upload
70 views

Getting Victims To Report

Human trafficking series originally published in the Piqua Daily Call in observance of January Human Trafficking Awareness month

Uploaded by

Bethany J. Royer-DeLong
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
70 views

Getting Victims To Report

Human trafficking series originally published in the Piqua Daily Call in observance of January Human Trafficking Awareness month

Uploaded by

Bethany J. Royer-DeLong
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Getting victims to report Human trafficking series By Bethany J.

Royer Originally published in the Piqua Daily Call January 31, 201

PIQUA As the month of January comes to a close so too does National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention month ut not the im!ortance of its message of a"areness# $It%s a"areness& that%s all "e%re trying to do&' e(!lained )eesa *aker& e(ecutive director for the Pi+ua ,-.A& the latter having !artnered "ith the Pi+ua !olice de!artment to ring information to the !u lic on the travesty that is human trafficking# The recruitment& har oring& trans!ortation& !rovision or o taining of !ersons for the !ur!ose of a commercial se( act& la or or services& either y force& fraud or coercion# Ho"ever& a"areness is only !art of the !lan& the ne(t ste! is ringing aid to the victims# In the !ast& victims "ere often vie"ed as !art of the cause ehind the crime& vie"ed as !rostitutes and falling into the !enalties of the la"# Today resources are not only eing utili/ed to ring a"areness of the !ro lem and educate those "ho may fall victim to human trafficking& ut getting hel! after the fact for the victims# $If "e can have some resources and e a le to turn it over to save a life& that%s !retty ideal&' said *ruce Jamison& chief of !olice& of the ho!e for a s!ecifically designated task force to aid victims through a recovery and restore !rocess# -hile some larger cities have the means and financial acking to offer this& Pi+ua has yet to e a le to !rovide this service# The local grou! still in the infant stages of ringing a"areness "hile "orking to"ards a !artnershi! for recovery# Though there are victim services according to Jamison& those of human trafficking have an es!ecially lengthy recovery and restore !rocess& eginning "ith the dou le0edge s"ord of re!orting their victimi/ation# $It took her years to finally come out and say "hat ha!!ened&' said *aker of Theresa 1lores "ho& as a middle0class teenager& fell victim to human trafficking via coercion and force over the course of t"o years# 1lores is not only a survivor ut shares her story of eing a victim of human trafficking and slavery through ooks& !u lic s!eaking and as a founder of S2AP Save 2ur Adolescents from Prostitution# S#2#A#P# distri utes ars of soa! "ith the National Human Trafficking hotline num er 344456760 74448 to high0risk motels or during "hat the grou!%s "e site states is $high demand' events such as the $Su!er *o"l& N.AA 1inal 1our& and the Indy 9::' among others# This includes ;umford < Sons having visited Troy over the summer "ith the United ;ethodist of Troy $soa!ing' the area in coalition "ith the ,-.A& according to *aker# The com ination of a ar of soa! and a !hone num er eing the !otential key to getting hel! for victims during "hat 1lores herself e(!erienced& the only comfort eing a ar of soa! after her ordeals#

$They are afraid to say anything&' continued *aker as Jamison shared a chilling e(am!le of the dou le0edge s"ord many victims face# $There%s al"ays a guilt factor "hether there should e or shouldn%t e&' e(!lained Jamison of a ra!e victim "ho "as doing nothing more than "alking from her !lace of "ork to her car# Ho" she felt guilty after eing attacked for not having her keys in her hand and thus feeling she "as at lame for having failed to !rotect herself# The dou le0edge s"ord eing that "hile !reached to take !recaution and even "hen they do are still attacked& $They are !ro a ly less likely 3to re!ort8 due to the guilt#' 1or Jamison& "ho has dealt "ith se(0related domestic issues over the years& says& $That%s the kind of stuff "e%re struggling "ith&' getting victims to re!ort# 1or more information on S#2#A#P# visit """#traffickfree#com Bethany J. Royer may be reached at 773-2721 or on Twitter @TheDailyCall Warning signs: Traits of trafficking (Shared Hope International)

* Significantly older boyfriend * Signs of trauma (physical or other) * Travel ith older male (!ot guardian) * "hronic runa ay * #ultiple delin$uent charges * Homelessness * Special marked tattoos * Substance abuse

You might also like