Human trafficking, in Minnesota

Human trafficking in Minnesota

By Susan Gaertner
Ramsey County Attorney

A thought-provoking new report has illuminated a disturbing problem that most Minnesotans probably haven't heard much about -- the trafficking of people for sexual or labor exploitation.

Minnesota social service groups have assisted up to 500 sex trafficking victims and 55 labor trafficking victims in the past three years, according to results of a study issued last month by the state Department of Public Safety and reported in the Sept. 16 Star Tribune. The study confirms my experience as a prosecutor that human trafficking is a much bigger issue than had been imagined in our state.

Trafficking victims may be desperately poor, dependent on drugs, in a country illegally, or just a kid running away from home. Whatever the vulnerabilities, traffickers create situations in which their victims are nearly powerless -- from beating, raping and starving them, to hooking them on drugs, to taking away their passports or other documents and threatening to deport them.

Some sex trafficking victims have been forced into prostitution. Others have been lured into pornography, exotic dancing or servile marriages. Labor trafficking victims have been exploited as household servants or as workers in the agriculture and food processing industries.

The recent report cites numerous case studies. A Nigerian woman, for example, was brought to Rochester and forced to work as a domestic servant without pay. As the report states, "despite the fact that her trafficker was a doctor at the Mayo Clinic, the woman's medical needs were unmet, and she was often left alone without access to food." She was physically abused and threatened with deportation.

Fortunately, we don't see such cases every day in the criminal justice system. The number of human trafficking offenses isn't huge compared with some categories of crime, but the impact on our communities is enormous. Such cases flout our values and degrade the essence of what it is to be a human being -- to have free will, pride, a sense of worth and dignity.

The problem in combating human trafficking is that these horrific situations often go unnoticed, and victims are left to the whims of their captors.

"Human trafficking, by its very nature, is a hidden crime whose victims often go unidentified, misidentified or undiscovered," the recent report says.

Human trafficking today is like child abuse used to be: Nobody talked about it, and victims went unidentified. Now, if you see a bruise on a child and you are in position of responsibility with children, you have to ask what happened. You have to pay attention to the signals.

That is where we need to go with combating human trafficking. We need to understand what this modern-day slavery looks like and what to do about it. Equipped with this knowledge, we can look for signs of such cases and intervene.

Some important steps already have been taken. The 2005 Minnesota Legislature, for example, authorized the human trafficking study and enacted anti-trafficking laws. The St. Paul Police Department, in partnership with other agencies, has spearheaded a regional human trafficking task force. And this year, the Legislature created a statewide task force to address the issue.

An essential next step is to provide more training for key personnel -- such as emergency responders, medical providers, clergy and social service workers -- who may come into contact with trafficking victims. Victims typically are too fearful or controlled to contact law enforcement. They may surface, however, at doctors' offices, in emergency rooms or in places of worship. That's why it's so important for a wide array of professionals, not just police, to recognize the red flags. If people in these settings aren't trained, opportunities to intervene with victims will be lost.

Sometimes, neighbors and co-workers are in the best position to identify a trafficking victim. The signs are there for anyone to see. Indicators include people who seem extremely isolated from others; signs of physical abuse, malnourishment or poor hygiene; fearful behavior; hovering caregivers who resist leaving the victim alone; and one person who insists on interpreting for the victim.

Anyone with suspicions about human trafficking activity may call Minnesota's Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-7 SAFE 24 (or 651-291-8810). Calls are fielded by the Civil Society, a nonprofit that also provides training and assists trafficking victims.

Human trafficking has no place in our state, our country or our world. By becoming more aware of the problem, all of us can help to eradicate this modern-day slavery.

Susan Gaertner is the Ramsey County attorney.



	Red Lake redemption Human trafficking in Minnesota By Susan Gaertner Ramsey County Attorney A thought-provoking new report has illuminated a disturbing problem that most Minnesotans probably haven't heard much about -- the trafficking of people for sexual or labor exploitation. Minnesota social service groups have assisted up to 500 sex trafficking victims and 55 labor trafficking victims in the past three years, according to results of a study issued last month by the state Department of Public Safety and reported in the Sept. 16 Star Tribune. The study confirms my experience as a prosecutor that human trafficking is a much bigger issue than had been imagined in our state. Trafficking victims may be desperately poor, dependent on drugs, in a country illegally, or just a kid running away from home. Whatever the vulnerabilities, traffickers create situations in which their victims are nearly powerless -- from beating, raping and starving them, to hooking them on drugs, to taking away their passports or other documents and threatening to deport them. Some sex trafficking victims have been forced into prostitution. Others have been lured into pornography, exotic dancing or servile marriages. Labor trafficking victims have been exploited as household servants or as workers in the agriculture and food processing industries. The recent report cites numerous case studies. A Nigerian woman, for example, was brought to Rochester and forced to work as a domestic servant without pay. As the report states, "despite the fact that her trafficker was a doctor at the Mayo Clinic, the woman's medical needs were unmet, and she was often left alone without access to food." She was physically abused and threatened with deportation. Fortunately, we don't see such cases every day in the criminal justice system. The number of human trafficking offenses isn't huge compared with some categories of crime, but the impact on our communities is enormous. Such cases flout our values and degrade the essence of what it is to be a human being -- to have free will, pride, a sense of worth and dignity. The problem in combating human trafficking is that these horrific situations often go unnoticed, and victims are left to the whims of their captors. "Human trafficking, by its very nature, is a hidden crime whose victims often go unidentified, misidentified or undiscovered," the recent report says. Human trafficking today is like child abuse used to be: Nobody talked about it, and victims went unidentified. Now, if you see a bruise on a child and you are in position of responsibility with children, you have to ask what happened. You have to pay attention to the signals. That is where we need to go with combating human trafficking. We need to understand what this modern-day slavery looks like and what to do about it. Equipped with this knowledge, we can look for signs of such cases and intervene. Some important steps already have been taken. The 2005 Minnesota Legislature, for example, authorized the human trafficking study and enacted anti-trafficking laws. The St. Paul Police Department, in partnership with other agencies, has spearheaded a regional human trafficking task force. And this year, the Legislature created a statewide task force to address the issue. An essential next step is to provide more training for key personnel -- such as emergency responders, medical providers, clergy and social service workers -- who may come into contact with trafficking victims. Victims typically are too fearful or controlled to contact law enforcement. They may surface, however, at doctors' offices, in emergency rooms or in places of worship. That's why it's so important for a wide array of professionals, not just police, to recognize the red flags. If people in these settings aren't trained, opportunities to intervene with victims will be lost. Sometimes, neighbors and co-workers are in the best position to identify a trafficking victim. The signs are there for anyone to see. Indicators include people who seem extremely isolated from others; signs of physical abuse, malnourishment or poor hygiene; fearful behavior; hovering caregivers who resist leaving the victim alone; and one person who insists on interpreting for the victim. Anyone with suspicions about human trafficking activity may call Minnesota's Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-7 SAFE 24 (or 651-291-8810). Calls are fielded by the Civil Society, a nonprofit that also provides training and assists trafficking victims. Human trafficking has no place in our state, our country or our world. By becoming more aware of the problem, all of us can help to eradicate this modern-day slavery. *Susan Gaertner is the Ramsey County attorney.*