Human Trafficking Awareness Month

EASTERN SHORE HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE

Moving forward to combat this evil together.

For Immediate Release

December 29, 2021

Contact: Edwin Thomas, Co-Chairman, Eastern Shore Human Trafficking Task Force

(410) 404-6680

Human Trafficking Awareness

January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Human Trafficking is a serious worldwide, United States problem that is on the Eastern Shore. The Eastern Shore Human Trafficking Task Force is a volunteer organization whose purpose is to combat human trafficking (sex and labor exploitation) by encouraging, supporting, and promoting awareness, prevention, and education throughout the Eastern Shore.

Human trafficking comes in two forms. One form of human trafficking is sex trafficking. Sex trafficking is a commercial sex act induced by force, fraud, or coercion and when the person performing the act is under 18 years of age. The other form of human trafficking is labor trafficking. Labor trafficking is recruiting or obtaining a person for labor or services using force, fraud, or coercion for involuntary servitude or slavery.

Factors that contribute to human trafficking include poverty, social media, lack of awareness, drug abuse and the covid pandemic to name a few. Victims of human trafficking are young boys and girls and adults both wealthy and poor.

Human trafficking is the second highest-grossing criminal enterprise in the United States raking in $9.5 billion a year. There are 25 to 40 million victims worldwide and at least 300,000 children are at risk of being prostituted at any time in the United States. According to the Child Sex Trafficking Victims Initiative, University of Maryland School of Social Work between June 2013 and May 2020, there were 679 reports of suspected child sex trafficking in Maryland including in all Eastern Shore Counties. Also, in 2019, there were twenty-one active human trafficking cases in the Maryland Federal Courts, which was the sixth highest in the United States. Since 2017 in Maryland 127 human trafficking victims were rescued.

There are signs to look for to identify a victim of human trafficking. One sign is if a student is skipping school having a lot of unexplained absences. Another sign would be if the suspected victim is becoming disconnected or withdrawn from family, friends, and church. They can also start living a different lifestyle by making drastic changes like dressing differently than usual and getting tattoos. Victims can make other lifestyle changes by starting to use drugs. Other signs to look for are signs of physical abuse, dating older men, being controlled by someone, appearing tired and not having any documentation.

In recent years human trafficking was reported throughout the Eastern Shore including for example, Denton (a couple pleaded guilty to trafficking a fourteen-year-old girl), Salisbury (a trafficker was sentenced to 145 years for trafficking four women), Ocean City (12 people were arrested in connection with a human trafficking ring), Federalsburg (a federal grand jury indicted three men for human trafficking).

There are several reasons why human trafficking takes place on the Eastern Shore including the existence of major highways, truck stops, hotels, motels, tourist attractions, seasonal employment and access to international airports and major metropolitan areas.

Many Eastern Shore public and non-profit organizations and agencies including service providers and law enforcement are working to prevent exploitation and care for and treat victims and survivors of human trafficking. You can help put a stop to human trafficking here on the Eastern Shore. You can educate yourself, your loved ones, and friends about human trafficking, check backgrounds and sex offender registries. You can help care for and treat victims and survivors and get involved in the community. Furthermore, you can become a mentor for at-risk youth and help provide care packages, gift cards, and notes for victims.

An example of local service providers is Harriett’s House, a Drop-in Center in Cambridge, providing resources for adult women such as emergency food, toiletries, case management and connections to other organizations in the community. The goal is to open a residential program this Spring to provide restorative care to women who have been trafficked or exploited. For more information visit their website @ www.harriettshouse.org.

In recognition of Human Trafficking Awareness month, the Eastern Shore Human Trafficking Task Force will be joining Harriett’s House on January 15, 2022 @ 9:00 a.m. to Walk For Freedom taking a stand against Human Trafficking and raising awareness about this issue. We will meet at Gerry Boyle Park at Great Marsh in Cambridge and walk to the Courthouse on High Street. This is a free event, but we would like you to register to attend. You may also purchase a T-Shirt to raise awareness (https://harriettshouse.networkforgood.com/events/36132-walk-for-freedom). Come join us in walking a mile (or so) to increase public interest awareness about this issue.

If you suspect you are becoming a victim of human trafficking, or think you see it taking place you should contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

For more information about anti-human trafficking activities and to find out more about what you can do please visit www, eshttf.org or contact Edwin Thomas, Co-Chairman, Eastern Shore Human Trafficking Task Force at edtho@comcast.net.