March against modern slavery planned for October 19

By Martin Lenkowsky | New Pelican Writer

Fort Lauderdale – On October 19, the third annual A21 Walk for Freedom against Human Trafficking will be held in Fort Lauderdale and simultaneously in other cities around the country and the world. The walk begins at 8 a.m. at the Broward County Clerk of Courts, 201 SE 6 St.

A21 is a global non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the fight against modern slavery, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking, forced labor, forced labor, involuntary domestic servitude and child soldiers. It was founded in 2008.

Fort Lauderdale native Sheena Kelly is the host of the walk. She is an attorney, now with the Attorney General’s office. While previously working as a prosecutor in the Broward State’s Attorney’s Office, she became aware of the prevalence of human trafficking. “Florida is third behind Texas and California,” she said. “Broward County has the second-highest (reported) number of human trafficking cases in the state.” The face of human trafficking has changed and kept pace with these high-tech times. “Today, human trafficking looks very different,” Kelly said. “Today it’s hidden in plain sight.” The days of a sexual predator luring children to the car with the promise of candy have been replaced, thanks in part to the ubiquitous Internet. “Most children between the ages of 12 and 14 have internet access,” says Kelly, and children in that age range are the most often targeted by traffickers. “This is how they care for and export children. You no longer need physical access.”

Kelly said predators carefully and patiently care for their vulnerable victims. “They earn their trust and build a relationship with them. They (the children) are not aware that they can become victims if they come to the internet.”

Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to force someone to perform labor or perform commercial sex acts. Men, women and children of all ages and backgrounds can become victims. Kelly said a potential victim can be recruited by a friend who gains his trust. “It could be a girl about your age who invites you to a dance class or asks you to come to a party,” she said.

Another common technique used by perpetrators to recruit victims is the ‘lover boy method’. Criminals take advantage of a victim’s vulnerabilities, such as loneliness or economic hardship. Another recruitment technique is substance abuse. “They may be given medication that will change their behavior,” Kelly said. “They can cause them to become addicted to drugs.”

Kelly is proof that no one is immune from exploitation.

While studying at the University of Florida in 2013, nothing seemed fishy for Kelly when she received a message via social media asking if she would be interested in modeling. Having modeled before, she initially didn’t think anything of it when she was asked to send photos of herself trying on different outfits. She also created a webcam where she changed herself into different outfits.

“I fell for all the tricks.” She ended the conversations when she became suspicious. Her first reaction was one of shame, but a friend took her to the police. “And they said it was a common thing.”

Regarding human trafficking, she points out that it is not just something that targets the lower socio-economic classes, it happens everywhere. “People pay a lot of money for this,” she says. “It’s one of the most lucrative industries in the world.”

The Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) Strategic Investigations Division offers some tips on how you can avoid becoming a victim of human trafficking:

Be careful who you speak to in person or online.

Don’t isolate yourself from other people to be with a new person. A trafficker will try to gain a person’s trust and then try to isolate the person from family and friends.

Only accept online friend requests from people you know.

Be wary of photos posted online, as traffickers and other bad actors can use these images for nefarious purposes.

Never give out personal information online, such as a phone number, address or live location.

BSO asks anyone who suspects human trafficking to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888, text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733 or call the BSO non-emergency number at 954-764-4357 (HELP.) Visit a21walkforfreedomftl.com to register for the walk (which is free). There are also sponsorship opportunities.