MADISON, Wis. — Spotting and stopping human trafficking are two very difficult tasks.
That’s why the Men’s Emergency Drop-in Shelter in Madison is taking steps to create a safer community by training its employees.
“It is just really who has the power, who has the money,” said Jan Miyasaki.
Miyasaki is the director of Project Respect. She taught the Men’s Emergency Drop-in Shelter staff how to spot and stop human trafficking.
“It could happen to anyone, but there are certain vulnerabilities that traffickers scout for,” said Miyasaki.
Those vulnerabilities can be drug use, mental health issues, poverty and homelessness.
Once traffickers pinpoint a victim with vulnerabilities, they then begin the process of grooming.
“Grooming is the promises, the lies, the gifts, the money,” said Miyasaki. “Grooming can happen at school or in the streets, but a lot of grooming happens online.”
Online grooming often involves adults creating fake profiles and posing as children or teens to gain the trust of their victims.
Signs that someone is a victim of human trafficking are:
- Signs of physical abuse
- Acting submissive or fearful
- Living with an employer
- An inability to speak to an individual alone
Staff at the men’s shelter pointed out that traffickers often don’t let their victims out of sight.
“The thing about being trafficked is they never are truly alone. They always have the guy or the women there or the other friends there and it is just hard to separate them,” said one employee.
Miyasaki said because of that, it is very important that you approach someone that could be a victim with extreme caution.
“You do have to separate people because they could be telling one completely different story [while in the presence of the trafficker], ‘everything is great, everything is fine,’” said Miyasaki.
If you are going to approach a suspected victim, you should:
- Make sure the trafficker is not around
- Express concern for their safety and wellbeing by asking about their working and living conditions
- Communicate that they do not deserve to be hurt, and the abuse is not their fault
- Take mental notes about specifics such as license plate number, car make and model, tattoos, or other identifying factors
- Report the incident to 911 and call the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888