CALIFORNIA LEADS COUNTRY IN NUMBER OF REPORTED SEX AND LABOR TRAFFICKING CASES
By Lynda
Gledhill, Interim Executive Officer
Sex trafficking. Forced labor. Domestic servitude. All are
considered human trafficking. Every January, the California Victim Compensation
Board strives to raise awareness and let millions of victims know there is
help, and a way out of this modern-day slavery.
Sex and labor trafficking are a $150 billion-a-year industry and
the epidemic isn’t just occurring in foreign countries with lax laws. In the
United States, the National
Human Trafficking Hotline reports it handled nearly 11,000 human
trafficking cases in 2018. California has the highest number of reported cases,
with 1,656 reported cases, followed by Texas (1,000) and Florida (767).
Human trafficking affects people of all genders and races;
however, women and girls are disproportionately trafficked. The International
Labour Organization reports women and girls account for 99% of
the victims in the commercial sex industry.
The cycle of human trafficking takes a heavy toll on victims.
Human traffickers often prey on those considered vulnerable, including
runaways, homeless youth and those in the child welfare system. According to
the Polaris Project, some victims stay with their trafficker because they’re
afraid to leave, lack transportation or a safe place to stay, are being held
against their will, or have been manipulated to the point they do not even
recognize they are under the control of another person.
Beyond recognizing the potential red flags, the Polaris
Project points out there may not be anything visible to alert you a
stranger is a victim of human trafficking. However, if you do suspect someone
is a victim of human trafficking, call 911 or your local law enforcement
agency, the National
Human Trafficking Hotline, or any of our partner
organizations.
“We need people to stop
stigmatizing the drug addict or prostitute on the corner as a lost cause, and
begin to ask ourselves how they got there,” survivor Marjorie Saylor told the San Diego Union-Tribune in December. The
founder and CEO of The Well Path went on to say, “We need more compassion for
others. Recognize that not everyone who is being trafficked is aware that they
are being exploited. Understand that our resilience is so much stronger than
our trauma and that recovery can happen. Understand that recovery sometimes
looks like going back out, again and again, until it finally sinks in.”
The California Victim Compensation Board assists victims of sex
and labor trafficking. Human trafficking victims can apply for reimbursement of
medical and mental health services and relocation assistance. In addition,
under Assembly Bill 629, which became law on January 1, 2020, human trafficking
victims may be eligible for up to $10,000 of income loss per year they were
trafficked, for up to two years ($20,000 limit). For minor victims of human
trafficking, the funds will be released after their 18th birthday.
Victims, victim advocates, victim representatives, and attorneys
can apply for compensation in several ways:
- Create an application using CalVCB
Online — a
secure and private portal that can be easily accessed from a smartphone,
tablet or computer.
- Contact a local county Victim
Witness Assistance Center.
- Call the CalVCB Help Line
at (800) 777-9229.
- Download an application
from CalVCB's
How to Apply page.
- E-mail CalVCB at info@victims.ca.gov.
Victims must apply within seven years of the date of the crime.
Minor victims must apply by their 28th birthday.
CalVCB encourages everyone to take some time this month to learn
more about how to help human trafficking victims.
