Human Trafficking, which is comprised of both Labor
Trafficking and Sex Trafficking, does not just involve individuals who are brought to this country and forced to provide sex or labor; it can and does occur with our own residents. Young girls, usually "tweens," are targeted in malls or if they are runaways, then coerced or forced into involuntary actions. Some girls have daily monetary quotas which they must fulfill. Even if the girls are not physically restricted, they do not report their captors out of fear that their family or they themselves will be harmed. Another means of keeping a person in bondage is by forcibly administering drugs to them until they become addicted and dependent upon the captor as their source.
The industry is the second largest, and fastest growing, and unfortunately, due to the freeway system and shared borders with a foreign country, the numbers in Michigan are rising exponentially.
21st CWAM recently held a Symposium in which Lt. Wendy Reyes of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office participated. Sen. Judy Emmons, R - Sheridan, spoke about how teens can be trafficked out of their own homes without their parents' knowledge. The bill package addresses treatment for minors who were trafficked, getting rid of the statute of limitations so violators may be prosecuted, and creates criminal liability for acts which promote trafficking.
Our own Chief of Police, Mike Patton, W Bloomfield PD attended the Symposium.
21st CWAM will be hosting another event to educate the community about this insidious activity in December.
Please visit www.21stwomensalliance.org for more information or contact Karen Faett, President, 21st CWAM at 248-408-0107
