Slave Next Door (54 page)

concern for the person’s welfare; it could simply be motivated by the

possibility of lost revenues or fear that the person might die or be per-

manently disabled, leaving the “employer” facing serious legal charges

in addition to trafficking. For anyone working in public service, such as

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in a hospital, be aware that a third party insisting on interpreting or

being present for conversations with a patient or client is a sign of con-

trol that can indicate enslavement. The same is true if a person who

comes into a hospital or clinic seems to be “guarded” by someone else.

If the victim comes in without the trafficker, and the warning signs are

recognized, then with the right questions the story of his or her enslave-

ment might emerge.

Brothels can be anywhere; women enslaved in prostitution can be

locked away in nice suburban neighborhoods as well as in rough areas

that feature strip clubs and massage parlors. As we saw in chapter 7, a

“legitimate” massage parlor can also front for a brothel with enslaved

women. In the case of a brothel set up in a residential area, a tip-off is

the constant activity of cars and individual men coming and going at all

hours.

Bus and train stations, gas stations, and truck stops are also logical

places to look for trafficked people. Traffickers often move their victims

from place to place and from state to state. As the Miguel Flores case

showed us, agricultural crew chiefs move their laborers with the harvest.

A picker might start in South Florida and in the same season move to

Georgia, the Carolinas, and eventually as far north as Pennsylvania and

Delaware. Traffickers that exploit women in forced prostitution fre-

quently transport their “girls” from state to state to avoid discovery.

Some of them sell their victims’ services at way stations for truckers as

well as at train and bus stations. Some are just passing through. Since

the vans transporting victims have to stop for gas, service stations are

natural stop-offs for traffickers. Station attendants can be especially

helpful if they learn to look for large numbers of fearful people being

guarded as they use the restrooms. These same restrooms are good

places to display information, in several languages, offering immediate

help to victims, in the form of the phone numbers of local NGOs, police,

and the trafficking hotline. Along with these numbers, it should be made

absolutely clear that the victims will in no way be held legally liable or

accountable; what is being offered is help, not apprehension by the law.

You can sometimes find victims on landscaping crews. A major

Connecticut nursery allegedly turned twelve Guatemalan guest work-

ers, here on H-2B visas, “into a captive labor force,” confiscating their

passports, working them eighty hours a week at minimum pay, denying

them medical attention, and threatening them with arrest and deporta-

tion if they complained.2 If you were a customer of this nursery, perhaps

with a little diligence you might have seen that something wasn’t right.

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These victims were being hidden in plain sight, and a little added aware-

ness on the part of the public could have made all the difference.

Construction is another field that is ripe for trafficking. One

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent commented, “I’ve

seen kids as young as ten from India who’d been sold . . . for $2,000 . . .

working on construction sites holding jackhammers.”3 One would think

that seeing any preteen operating a jackhammer would send up a warn-

ing flag. In 2006, a California case involved dozens of skilled Thai

welders, brought here to be guestworkers for Trans Bay Steel Corp.,

only to find that they’d been enslaved. The usual violations occurred:

exorbitant “debt,” confiscated papers, shabby living quarters with sev-

eral men to a room with no heat, electricity, or furniture, total restric-

tion of movement, and threat of arrest and deportation. But there was a

twist. There was only enough work for nine of the welders, so the rest

were channeled into menial work for thirteen hours a day, at no pay,

throughout Los Angeles and Long Beach. Apparently, no citizens

noticed, and if they did, nothing was said. Eventually, these workers res-

cued themselves and, through the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission (EEOC), brought suit against the corporation. When the

case was settled, $1.4 million in compensation was awarded to forty-

eight Thai workers, along with several benefits, including college tuition

and books for further education, relocation costs, minimum wage, and

guaranteed work on the project they had come for in the first place.

One of the most insidious forms of trafficking—the enslavement of

domestics and nannies—occurs under our very noses. Here you must be

vigilant. It is being practiced by your neighbors and community mem-

bers, and with awareness you can spot it. Enslaved domestics will have

many of the same warning signs: someone else holds their documents,

and their movement and communication are restricted and controlled.

With domestics, one of the warning signs is actually the fact that they

are rarely seen. Sometimes a neighbor will become aware that one

person who lives in a nearby house is only glimpsed occasionally, never

seems to leave with other residents, or is never seen wearing a coat out-

doors. Sadly, most survivors of domestic servitude who find freedom do

so through their own courage and desperation; they escape. Many more

would be rescued if the public learned to look for and recognize the

warning signs.

These are just a few of the situations in which you might encounter a

victim of trafficking; there are many more—restaurants, sweatshops,

laundries—limited only by the innovativeness of the trafficker. And

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please remember: if you hear about or uncover what you think could be

a trafficking situation, great care and sensitivity must be shown in speak-

ing with possible victims, and the best course is to call a trained profes-

sional. The appendix gives a list of organizations recognized as the best

in the victim services field; if none is near you, either call one and ask for

a local referral, or dial the national Human Trafficking Resource Center

hotline, 888–373–7888, any time day or night, or the U.S. government

hotline, 888–428–7581, Monday through Friday, nine to five.

Helping the Survivors

Once free of their enslavement, survivors need a lot of assistance, and

there are specific, hands-on ways you can help them. One of the keys to

helping former victims is through giving, both of yourself and of your

money. If your personal or professional skills are applicable, or if you

have items that are needed, be generous with them. Talk with local

organizations that work with trafficking victims, and let them know

you’d like to play a role. Survivors of human trafficking often walk away

from their slavery with nothing, and there is no doubt you can help.

D O N AT E C L O T H E S A N D E Q U I P M E N T

One of the easiest things you can give is clothes. The ability to dress appro-

priately and attractively not only helps the survivor move on toward find-

ing a job and making a life in the real world but has a positive impact on

his or her self-image. Clean clothes in good condition are generally

accepted by such service organizations as Dress for Success. Also, com-

puters, cell phones, and other personal electronic devices are welcome.

O F F E R Y O U R L A N G U A G E S K I L L S

Since many victims come from abroad and enter the country with little

or no capacity to speak English, language is a major issue. The ability to

speak, read, and write English is important for those survivors seeking

to make a life in America. People from dozens of countries have been

enslaved in our country, and your ability to speak one of their languages

can be invaluable. If you have a language skill, talk to your local service

provider about acting as an interpreter for intake interviews with the

staff attorney or legal director. Or you can help antislavery and anti-

trafficking organizations translate materials so that they can reach a

greater number of people in slavery. If you can teach, consider teaching

English as a second language. Perhaps the service provider can set up

classes or tutorials for you.

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O F F E R Y O U R P R O F E S S I O N A L S K I L L S

Many professions can be of significant value to those freed from slavery.

A health care background enables you to provide the physical and

mental attention that virtually all victims need. Nurses, doctors, and

other medical professionals are much sought after, and low- or no-cost

mental health care providers are desperately needed. If you are a lawyer,

or work with a law firm that does pro bono work, consider volunteer-

ing your services. If you have a banking and finance background, please

share it. And in today’s world, what could be of greater use than com-

puter skills? A local service provider organization can help you sched-

ule classes and focus your abilities.

D O N AT E M O N E Y

You knew we’d come to this point eventually. All through this book are

listed local, state, and national groups fighting human trafficking. All of

them need your help and support. Many are helping people freed from

slavery, and they are most likely operating on a shoestring, lacking

resources to do as good a job as the survivors of trafficking and slavery

need and deserve. When you look at the list of these groups in the

Appendix, decide which one matches your interests and talents; they

will be glad to hear from you, and they can give you a clear picture of

where your money will be going. Once people escape from slavery, they

usually have no money at all. Many need support while they await the

trial of their abusers. This includes food, shelter—the basics. Others

need help to buy an airplane ticket home. Donations sometimes go to

programs in emerging nations to help curb some of the root causes that

drive individuals to take the risks that result in slavery here.

B U Y S U R V I V O R - M A D E G O O D S

Purchasing products made by survivors of human trafficking will work

toward creating economic empowerment and moving survivors toward

self-sufficiency. Check out survivor-made products sold by the

Emancipation Network (TEN) online at www.madebysurvivors.com or at

http://freetheslaves.madebysurvivors.com. TEN sells products made by

clients of many of the leading antitrafficking organizations around the

world.

G E T C R E AT I V E !

Think outside the box. There are people around the country who don’t

wait for permission or approval to create their own programs and initia-

tives. A group of women in Collier County, Florida, has taken a unique

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approach to fighting the growing problem of human trafficking by con-

centrating their efforts on feminine products. The Florida Council of

Catholic Women is writing letters to the makers of Tampax and other

feminine products, encouraging them to put an emergency hotline mes-

sage on their packaging. This will let women know—in different lan-

guages—that if they’re being held to work against their will there is a

twenty-four-hour number they can call. “In human trafficking, these

people are owned and sold from person to person and they’re never free,”

said Janet Mitchell of the Council of Catholic Women. “If they see that

phone number, they know somewhere out there people are trying to help

them. It will give them hope if nothing else.” The women say they chose

feminine products because women of all backgrounds and languages use

them, and they use them in private—away from the eyes of their captors.4

Led by an inspired teacher, a group of fifty eighth graders in Crescent

Springs, Kentucky, made it possible to rescue and rehabilitate dozens of

trafficked children abroad. Their teacher was inspired by an Oprah

Winfrey program about children forced to do dangerous work on fishing

boats in Ghana. She shared the story with her class, who adopted the

issue for their service project. They set a high goal—to rescue and reha-

bilitate forty kids, half a world away. The students learned how to design

and put up a Web site. They created brochures and slide shows on slavery

to educate other students, business leaders, and faith congregations. They

donated baby-sitting money and allowances; they baked cookies and sold

lemonade. And in six weeks, they raised over $28,400. This same energy