In the News

Originally posted on www.news-press.com on April 11, 2007

This timing is especially appropriate as the first meeting of the Lee County Human Trafficking Task Force was held on April 20, 2005, almost two years ago. At that meeting, Mary Lewis of Our Mother s Home reported to sheriff s officers that she believed she was caring for a possible victim of human trafficking.

Thanks in part to a neighbor s alertness and willingness to help, that young girl had already been freed from her captors. Three weeks after the meeting, four people were arrested and charged with enslaving the young girl in a home in Cape Coral. The U.S. Attorney s Office, led by Chief Asst. U.S. Attorney Doug Molloy, prosecuted the traffickers. All were found guilty under the strict guidelines of the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act. They are currently imprisoned in federal facilities.

Our community effort has been recognized by the federal government as a model for other communities. It is the subject of two film documentaries and is a prime example of how a community neighbors, law enforcement, prosecutors, victim service providers, service clubs, faith groups and the media can work together to eradicate this crime. Since 2005, many more victims have been found locally. Organizations, including Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva, Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, Lee County Health and Human Services, Collier County Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and other nonprofits and government agencies have united to work toward the eradication of this terrible crime in our region and have trained others to do the same.

Recently, as I have traveled around the state and country teaching about human trafficking and helping communities form their own task forces, I have been told about two cases involving young American girls. One was only 14 when she met her suspected trafficker in a mall nail salon. Another disappeared four years ago after she and her mother were befriended by a woman who encouraged them to move to another city when the mother lost her job.

Any vulnerable person, whether a legal or illegal immigrant, a homeless person, even your child anyone who might be forced, tricked, physically or psychologically coerced may become a victim of human trafficking. Victims may be found in your neighborhood or your city, and the role of an aware citizenry is vital. Of the victims found here over the last two years, 80 percent have been minors and most are female.

Our experience has taught us that no one group or person can do this work alone. We must work together. Law enforcement and trained human service providers have important roles to play, but so do you. Our local task force is asking you to join with us to fight this crime by becoming aware of the signs of this modern form of human slavery. Eradicating modern slavery is going to take everyone s understanding of the signs of human trafficking. We want you to be willing and able to take appropriate action when you suspect that a person is being held against his or her will. You need to know who to call in our area to help the victims and arrest the traffickers. In just the last three months, over 1,500 local citizens have invited speakers to their clubs and churches in our region to learn about human trafficking. By becoming educated about human trafficking, you can do your part to end this terrible crime.