‘It’s always trafficking awareness month for us’: Human trafficking experts, law enforcement officers provide insight into misconceptions - Greeley Tribune
Human trafficking happens everywhere in the United States.
That includes small communities, like those across Weld County, proving anyone can fall victim to sex or labor trafficking despite gender identity, age, race and economic situation. That also makes continuing education for the public a vital tool in the fight against common misconceptions and myths in regards to what human trafficking entails, who it affects and where it happens.
Although Human Trafficking Awareness Month is January, organizations, councils and law enforcement work year-round to spread awareness and prevention across Colorado.
The Avery Center in Greeley is a nonprofit that conducts research about human trafficking and provides services to survivors of human trafficking, according to the center’s Outreach & Engagement Coordinator Marissa Siemers.
“We are very survivor-centered, survivor-focused and survivor-led so that lived experience can inform change that needs to happen,” Siemers said.
All services through the Avery Center depend on the survivors’ needs. Those services can include a housing program, an economic empowerment program and a care package program. Staff also provides general client management to assist with things such as mental health services and legal matters.
Where does human trafficking take place?
Over the years, local misunderstandings about human trafficking have created a “not in my backyard” mindset among people in the county, Siemers said. In reality, she said, between 100-150 clients at the Avery Center have come from the Weld County area since 2014.
Despite the nonprofit’s location, most survivors come from other counties to seek services because of the Avery Center’s lack of partnerships with Weld County law enforcement, Siemers said. Due to this circumstance, it’s hard to track local trafficking numbers with the center’s limited research abilities and clientele from the area.
“You’d think the majority of our clients would be from Greeley or Weld County, and then we’d have a few trickling in from surrounding counties, but it’s kind of the opposite,” Siemers said. “It’s not that they don’t exist. It’s just difficult to identify those clients and identify those survivors when no one really knows what to look for.”
Brooke Coughlin, the Greeley Police Department’s Supervisor of Victim Advocates, indicated she has referred many victims to the Avery Center and has sent victim advocates and law enforcement to the center’s trainings in the past.
She explained a priority is placed on what the victim needs are in the short term when sending survivors to receive services, which sometimes entails relocating people out of the county or state.
“We’re worried about short-term stuff versus long-term,” Coughlin said. “The long-term goals are going to come in the next couple days or even months sometimes because we have so much more to work. Our job is normally figuring out the next 72 hours.”
Greeley police have also experienced the complexity of getting numbers on human trafficking because of many factors including Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation handling their own cases and victims declining to take cases further.
Greeley police Sgt. Dennis Lobato indicated there were about six to seven potential cases that Greeley police worked on over the last year.
“But again, the challenging part on a lot of these cases, I’ll just speak from my experience, is really getting that victim to come forward to provide the necessary information for us to continue this investigation toward successful prosecution,” Lobato said. “We don’t give up, and we do a lot of follow-up with them and any support systems that are in place to help that case proceed.”
Despite difficulties with data and cases proceeding, potential human trafficking cases are increasing throughout Weld County every year, according to Greeley police.
Weld County is a hotspot for sex trafficking because of its location, according to Siemers. She said any location that has higher numbers of men also has higher rates of sex trafficking.
There are many vulnerabilities that are present in victims from rural areas, including isolation, fewer employment opportunities and less access to social services, according to an American Military University article. These factors make Weld County a magnet for these types of crimes.
Maria Trujillo, Human Trafficking Program Manager at the Colorado Department of Public Safety, reports similar numbers when it comes to the presence of trafficking in Greeley. According to a 2021 report from the Colorado Human Trafficking Council, the Greeley Police Department stated they had seven reports of human trafficking in 2020 and one case of involuntary servitude in 2018.
As someone who has worked for over a decade in this line of work, Trujillo said human trafficking exists all over the state and no city is immune. However, places that have dedicated units and people who tackle the issue of human trafficking are seeing higher numbers because more resources are utilized to look for it.
For example, Denver has a dedicated trafficking unit, which has handled more than 31 cases just over the last few years.
“So when you actually look for it, you’ll find it,” Trujillo said. “Time and time again, when we see dedicated law enforcement and folks in prosecutors’ offices dedicating human power to address human trafficking, those numbers always go up.”
The 2021 council report indicated about 91% of the human trafficking filings in the state were for sex trafficking over the past three years. There have been 136 filings of human trafficking statutes, and 83 total cases in the state. From those cases, Colorado had 11 convictions on human trafficking and 42 convictions on other crimes related to human trafficking.
Trujillo’s job is to oversee and coordinate the work of the Colorado Human Trafficking Council, which was formed in 2014. The council is made up of 35 stakeholders from different fields across the state who were tasked with fulfilling mandates from the General Assembly. Tasks range from data collection, writing annual reports, establishing trainings and curriculum, creating public awareness campaigns and more.
“I started as just a concerned citizen wanting to volunteer in my community and then that led me to change my entire career path to work on this issue full time,” Trujillo said. “I’ve seen and heard from such wonderful, amazing human beings that were, unfortunately, victims of human trafficking, and it just should never happen to someone.”
What is human trafficking and who is affected?
Trujillo and Siemers have each seen and heard many misconceptions about human trafficking throughout their time in the field.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of exchanging a sexual act for any sort of valuable good. Most people are unaware an exchange doesn’t always entail sex for money, it includes sex for any valuable good.
While the definition varies and people have their own interpretations, Siemers said the Avery Center will generally accept anyone who identifies as a survivor and seeks services.
Human trafficking cases are also typically viewed as someone who kidnaps a person and sells them. Although that does and can happen, most start as a slow process, Siemers explained.
More often than not, a human trafficking situation starts as someone who shows an interest in a person through love and adoration before the switch is flipped. Many traffickers will then put victims in a vulnerable position of feeling like they owe them something in return.
“It turns into a situation where they feel like they can’t leave, they’re forced to be there,” Siemers said.
One of the biggest misunderstandings about human trafficking is that victims can easily leave their situation, which is similar to domestic violence cases, according to Trujillo.
“The psychological coercion and manipulation of a trafficker create a very complex dynamic between the trafficker and the victim, making it very difficult for the victims to feel like there is a way out and find a way to leave,” Trujillo said.
Another big myth in the world of trafficking is that foreign nationals are the only people affected or that it only happens overseas. But anyone can fall victim to exploitation in Colorado, and in other states and countries.
In addition, people often think that human trafficking is sex trafficking when in reality it includes labor trafficking and sex trafficking. Labor trafficking has also been highly documented by organizations across the state, Trujillo said.
With both types of trafficking, the public often has the wrong idea about who is affected. It’s commonly thought trafficking only happens to girls or women, but it affects all genders, including boys and men.
Greeley police reported a majority of the victims of human trafficking over the past couple years have been juveniles. And many area agencies, including Greeley, are seeing more male juvenile victims than ever, Coughlin said.
Police have also seen a lot of runaway juvenile cases in Greeley, which can lead the vulnerable youth to human trafficking, according to Greeley police Detective Leslie Schmidt. She said it usually starts at home and advised all parents to pay attention to who their kids are talking to and what their kids are doing.
“Something so small can turn into something so big within a short amount of time,” Schmidt said. “A lot of our runaways are looking for someone who loves them or will take care of them. They find someone that will take care of them and then all of a sudden they have to return the favor.”
Common signs to look for in someone who may be involved in human trafficking, according to Siemers, include:
- Isolation: Traffickers’ main tactic is to isolate victims from their support systems so they feel as if they have nowhere else to go.
- Flashiness: Traffickers want their victims to look good. People could be involved in trafficking if they start wearing things they wouldn’t normally be able to afford on their own, such as jewelry, new clothes, high-end designers and other expensive items. Trafficking isn’t fast money coming in, but it’s fast money going out. So victims rarely ever see the money.
- Schedule changes: The most common time of day to engage in trafficking activities is typically at night. If loved ones switch their schedules, including absences from work, social events and other important parts of their day-time lives, it is an indicator that they could be involved in trafficking.
Greeley police advise people if they see something to say something when it comes to observing suspicious behavior that could be linked to human trafficking.
Another frequent aspect seen in human trafficking is the connection to drug trafficking and gangs, Siemers said. Weld County, especially Greeley, has a large gang presence. Siemers reflected back to a past training from Megan Lundstrom, Avery Center’s Director of Research, who reported that every single one of the documented traffickers from Greeley was involved in gangs.
Lobato, armed with his experience in law enforcement, backed up this notion. He indicated human trafficking often involves other types of criminal activity, including a connection to drugs.
Prevention, awareness and resources
Trained Greeley police, especially those who patrol at night, can recognize the signs that align with human trafficking, Lobato said. Police and victims advocates from Greeley are also a part of a multi-disciplinary team in Weld County that focuses on education and trainings about trafficking.
“As far as prevention, if I had to say anything to the residents, we engage in trying to always investigate to the fullest extent to prevent this,” said Lobato, adding the department works collaboratively with other law enforcement entities to tackle these crimes.
These collaborations were exemplified when a joint task force operation called “Greeley Predators” resulted in the arrest of 11 men who were accused of the sexual exploitation of children in June.
“How many people were charged on that?” Lobato asked. “Eleven people on a two-day period. What does that tell you?
“We want those predators to know that we will never give up and we’re going to pursue what we can at all times. We want to see justice for that … but it’s definitely a true total team approach on these types of cases for sure.”
As for the Colorado Human Trafficking Council, multiple human trafficking education and training programs are offered, especially for Colorado law enforcement and those who provide services to victims of human trafficking.
A public awareness campaign from November of 2020 was reinstated this month to spread more information about the issues behind human trafficking for Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Trujillo said.
The council worked to get a proclamation from Gov. Jared Polis to name Jan. 11 as Colorado Human Trafficking Awareness Day. On Jan. 30, the council will host a virtual panel of local experts to discuss the first involuntary servitude prosecution in Denver County on Facebook Live and YouTube with three different streaming times.
“It’s always trafficking awareness month for us,” Siemers said. “It’s more or less business as usual.
”Just being able to walk alongside people as they are in their healing journey and get more established. That is truly an experience that I could never give up.”
Colorado’s human trafficking hotline is 24 hours, seven days a week. Callers can report information or get help anonymously by calling (866) 455-5075.
For more information on human trafficking, local services or events, go to:
- The Avery Center: https://theaverycenter.org/
- Colorado Human Trafficking Council: https://bit.ly/3H6yf2b
- This is Human Trafficking: https://thisishumantrafficking.com/
source: https://www.greeleytribune.com/2022/01/29/its-always-trafficking-awareness-month-for-us-human-trafficking-experts-law-enforcement-officers-provide-insight-into-misconceptions/
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