Investigator: Human trafficking is ‘prevalent in this area’

Human Trafficking in the Winchester Area

Introduction

When you hear the term “human trafficking,” you probably think about people being exploited in large cities or foreign countries.

You may be surprised to learn that human trafficking is happening right here, right now, in the Winchester area.

Investigator Zack Hawkins

Investigator Zack Hawkins of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office has devoted his career to finding criminals who exploit others and helping the victims who have had their lives upended.

Forms of Human Trafficking

During an interview on Wednesday, Hawkins said there are two forms of human trafficking: labor and sex.

“Both are prevalent in this area,” he said.

Prevalence of Traffickers

Traffickers are rarely kidnappers who snatch strangers from the streets, Hawkins said. Rather, they are friends, acquaintances or loved ones who gain a victim’s trust only to exploit them for personal gain.

“It’s most likely going to be somebody they [the victims] met online or somebody in the community,” Hawkins said.

“They’re teachers, they’re coaches, they’re people involved in the church, they’re family members, they’re neighbors, they’re acquaintances,” said Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Lt. A.J. Singhas. “They’re not big, scary monsters coming onto the playground that kids have never met.”

“It’s the people that you least expect,” added Frederick County Sheriff Lenny Millholland.

Investigator’s Role

In order for Hawkins to track down predators, he has to go online and pretend to be one. He adopts the online persona of a pedophile or sexual deviant to see if anyone will offer him access to a child or adult he can abuse.

In many cases, Hawkins said, the people he connects with during his undercover operations are parents who are prostituting their own kids — sometimes for drugs or money, sometimes for other children the parents can molest themselves. For this reason, Hawkins frequently claims to be the parent of a child he is willing to let others abuse if he can molest their kid in return.

“We’ve been able to make some pretty decent cases [against predators],” Hawkins said.

Elements of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is complex and happens in many ways.

“For human trafficking, you need one of three elements,” Hawkins said. “You need force, fraud or coercion.”

Fraud and Coercion

Fraud is most frequently associated with labor trafficking, where victims — frequently people from other countries who are not legal residents of the United States — are forced to work for little or no pay because they have been told terrible things will happen to them or their families if they don’t comply.

“When you get into sex trafficking, you have coercion or force,” Hawkins said. “The biggest thing in our area is coercion, and it’s mostly drug coercion. That’s how commercial sex workers around here are being controlled.”

Victims and Exploitation

He explained that traffickers have a talent for finding people with unfulfilled needs, be it for affection, friendship, a parental figure or drugs. They offer to fill those needs in exchange for the victim providing a sexual service, either to the traffickers or paying customers.

Before the victims realize what’s happening, they’re being controlled by traffickers.

In the Winchester area, commercial sex workers, most of whom are being trafficked, range in age from 15 to 50. Their traffickers usually keep them in compliance by plying them with drugs that flow into the region from Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

In nearby West Virginia, sexual exploitation tends to be more familial.

“That’s where your family members are trading their children for drugs or money or a place to stay, things like that,” he said.

Identifying Human Trafficking

One reason victims of human trafficking suffer in silence is because they think no one will help them. Part of that is due to the lies they are told by their traffickers, but part of it is also because of how law enforcement has historically treated exploited sex workers as if they were criminals.

Frederick County Sheriff’s Office officials say they don’t operate that way.

“They are victims of what happened,” Hawkins said. “Men and women who are trafficked or working alone, we want them to see us as an avenue of escape, somebody they can rely on. We want them to be able to have a relationship with us where they can share things without fear of being in trouble. Hopefully we can then get them resources to get them out of their situations.”

Community Involvement

With so many barriers stopping police from reaching victims, Hawkins said, “We need citizens that want to help. … Even if you just think it’s something, call us because we’d rather come out and verify it.”

Tipsters can also contact the Polaris Project, which is a national organization committed to fighting human trafficking in the United States. Its toll-free number is 888-373-7888.

If you’re not sure what you should be looking for, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has a list of things that could indicate a person is being trafficked:

• Appearing malnourished
• Appearing injured or having signs of physical abuse
• Avoiding eye contact, social interaction and law enforcement
• Responding in ways that seem rehearsed or scripted
• Lacking identification documentation
• Lacking personal possessions

Common locations for exploitation, especially sex trafficking, include truck stops, rest areas, hotels and motels, so Hawkins advises keeping a close eye on those places.

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SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual exploitation.
• SDG 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor.
• SDG 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against children.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for SDG 5.2: Number of cases of human trafficking and sexual exploitation reported and prosecuted.
• Indicator for SDG 8.7: Number of victims rescued from forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking.
• Indicator for SDG 16.2: Number of cases of child abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and violence reported and prosecuted.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

The article highlights the issue of human trafficking, specifically labor and sex trafficking, which is connected to SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

Based on the content of the article, the specific targets that can be identified are SDG 5.2 (eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls), SDG 8.7 (eradicating forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking), and SDG 16.2 (ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and violence against children).

The article mentions indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. For SDG 5.2, the indicator is the number of cases of human trafficking and sexual exploitation reported and prosecuted. For SDG 8.7, the indicator is the number of victims rescued from forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking. For SDG 16.2, the indicator is the number of cases of child abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and violence reported and prosecuted.

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Source: nvdaily.com

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