Interrupting Sex Trafficking: A Collaborative Approach

1. Interrupting Sex Trafficking: A Collaborative Approach between Selah Freedom and the Criminal Justice System Consortium of Police and Public Safety Psychologists Annual Meeting April 27, 2019 Dr. Jessica M. Grosholz, Assistant Professor, USF Sarasota-Manatee Dr. Sandra S. Stone, Professor, USF Sarasota-Manatee

2. What is Sex Trafficking?

3. Human Trafficking: Global Scope1,2 • 2016 – estimated 40.3 million people in modern slavery: 24.9 million in forced labor, 15.4 million in forced marriage. • 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world; 1 in 4 are children. • Of 24.9 million people in forced labor, 4.8 million in forced sexual exploitation. • Women and girls disproportionately affected – 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors

4. Global Legal Actions3 • In 2017… • Prosecutions – 17,880 (869 Labor) • Convictions – 7,045 (332 Labor) • Identified Victims – 100,409 (23,906 Labor)

5. Federal Definition of Human Trafficking • According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.” • Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) passed in 2000

6. National Data on Sex Trafficking4 • No centralized data base • Data from the Human Trafficking Hotline – 2017 – 26,557 calls; 8,524 cases reported; 6,081, or 71.3% involved sex trafficking • Florida is third in the number of cases reported to the hotline (604), second to CA (1,305) and TX (792)

7. Florida Law5 787.06 Human trafficking.—(1)(a) The Legislature finds that human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. Victims of human trafficking are young children, teenagers, and adults. Thousands of victims are trafficked annually across international borders worldwide. Many of these victims are trafficked into this state. Victims of human trafficking also include citizens of the United States and those persons trafficked domestically within the borders of the United States. The Legislature finds that victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor.

8. 2016 Report to Florida Statewide Council on Human Trafficking6 • No standardized methodology for capturing data • No consistency among states and the federal government • No known statewide coordinated care systems that address the sex trafficking of adults • Between 2013 – 2015 the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 6,819 calls from Florida, resulting in 1,136 reports: • 68% were adults • 83.6% were females • 71% were for sex trafficking

9. Locations of Sex Trafficking Cases Involving U.S. Citizens7

10. Top Risk Factors for Victims of Sex Trafficking8,9,10 • Recent migration/relocation • Substance use • Runaway/homeless • Mental health problems • Previous involvement with the child welfare system, particularly sexual abuse

11. Top Industries or Venues for Sex Trafficking7 • Illicit massage/spa businesses • Hotel/motel based • Online advertising • Residence-based commercial sex • Escort services • Outdoor solicitation

12. Top Recruiting Tactics for Sex Trafficking8,9 • Intimate partner/marriage • Family • Posing as benefactor • Job offer • False promises

13. Methods of Force, Fraud, andCoercion11

14. Top Indicators of Sex Trafficking Victims12 • Signs of or history of emotional, sexual, or other physical abuse, sexually transmitted diseases • Unexplainable appearance of expensive gifts, clothing, or other costly items  • Presence of an older boy/girlfriend  • Minor in the company of a controlling third party • Lack of knowledge about a given community or whereabouts  • Bruising and injury, signs of branding/tattoos • Runaway/homeless  • Lying about age, giving false ID and/or no ID  • Well-rehearsed and/or inconsistent stories

15. Points of Contact for Potential Help • Family/friends • Law enforcement/CJ system • Health services • Social services • Mobile apps/social media

16. Selah Freedom’s Goal: To Serve Adult Women Victims of Sex Trafficking • Selah Freedom – Began in 2010 – 3 women in Sarasota-Manatee area became aware of sex trafficking -- realized women had nowhere to go to start over • Also, realized a need to get at the root problem of child sexual abuse • A women’s leadership organization was looking for a project and made the connection – Selah Freedom was established

17. Selah Freedom – Operations • PREVENTION13 – Educating and equipping teens to know recruiting tactics and “red flags” of sex trafficking and exploitation – programs offered to K-12 students in a variety of settings. • AWARENESS14 – Educating law enforcement officers, judicial officers, legislators, non-profit service providers, health care providers, school officials, and the general public about sex trafficking

18. Selah Freedom – Operations (cont’d) • OUTREACH15 – Actively reaching out to victims/survivors on the streets and in the jails. Partnering with law enforcement and the judicial system to offer a Prostitution Diversion Program to survivors. Also providing case management and counseling services. • RESIDENTIAL16 – Providing a long-term residential program for women 18-29, including trauma care, educational support, job placement, legal/medical services, life skills training, etc.

19. Outreach – Social Services/Criminal Justice System Collaboration15 • Street Outreach – paired patrols, accompany police on special stings/targeted interventions/extractions • Street “drop-in” center • Selah Freedom/Criminal Justice System collaboration with a prostitution diversion court – Turn Your Life Around (TYLA) • Jail education/support groups • Case Management, including community-based support groups, counseling, referrals to services for housing, food, clothing, job training, education • Training for law enforcement officers

20. Law Enforcement Engagement with Victims “I think it’s amazing they’re working together. That right there is going to make a huge change and difference.” – Grace, Selah Freedom Outreach Client “I probably never would have reached out until one of the officers that was looking more into the case came in and kind of explained to me how I was actually a victim and this wasn’t something that is my fault and that if I needed to talk to somebody about it there’s a program that has helped a lot of women … I didn’t reach out right away, I was actually kind of nervous, so I emailed them and then eventually like got in touch with [Selah Staff Member].” – Jennifer, Selah Freedom Outreach Client

21. Law Enforcement & Selah Freedom

22. Current Evaluation • Multi-method, phased approach • Phase 1: Process Evaluation • Provide a detailed description and implementation strategy for the four main divisions of Selah Freedom • On-site visits, examination of daily schedules and written reports, participant observation of trainings, workshops, and events, and review of de-identified case records, social media, and newspaper outlets • Interviews and focus groups with administrators, staff, collaborators (e.g., law enforcement, health care providers, counseling personnel, etc.), and volunteers

23. Current Evaluation • Multi-method, phased approach • Phase 2: Outcome Evaluation (Part 1) • Quantitative analysis of all data collected by Selah Freedom • Phase 3: Outcome Evaluation (Part 2) • In-depth, one-on-one interviews with sex-trafficking survivors (i.e., Selah Freedom “clients”)

24. To Date… • Observed CSEC trainings, law enforcement training, Care Team trainings, volunteer trainings, jail self-esteem groups, outreach mentoring groups, drop-in center, and community prevention meetings • Taken part in Selah Freedom Immersion Tour • Begun analyzing de-identified client data and pre-post tests from prevention classes • Begun interviews with Selah Freedom clients and focus groups with volunteers and staff

25. Challenges with Evaluation Research • Organization’s fast-paced growth without evidence-based evaluation • Lack of communication • Between four programs (prevention, awareness, outreach, and residential) • Between on-the-ground staff and founders • Between Selah Freedom and Evaluation Team • Programmatic and leadership changes with little to no discussion with evaluation team

26. Next Steps • Interviews and Focus Groups with 140 total individuals • 20 administrators, 40 staff, 20 former clients, 50 volunteers, and 10 community partners • Continued Process Evaluation • Observations at Prostitution Diversion Court, group therapy at long-term residential home, state attorney trainings, outreach drop-in center • Analyze outcome data • Submitting NIJ grant proposal

27. How You Can Help • Screen police applicants for attitudes towards women • Screen police applicants for open-mindedness, flexibility in thinking, tolerance, willingness to be exposed to alternative perspectives and practices • Screen police applicants for willingness to be engaged with the community and work toward solutions to social problems • Explore with police applicants their openness to diversion courts, belief that people can change, and willingness to see the police role as more than upholding “law and order” • Reinforce for police applicants their role as helpers and the reality that they can make a true “life or death” difference in others’ lives

28. Questions?

29. References • 1 International Labour Office (2017). Global estimates of modern slavery: Forced labour and forced marriage. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office and Walk Free Foundation. • 2 International Labour Organization Newsroom (2014, May 20). ILO says forced labor generates annual profits of US$150 billion. International Labour Organization. Retrieved from: https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_243201/lang--en/index.htm. • 3 U.S. Dept. of State (2017). Global Law Enforcement Data. Retrieved from: https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2018/282579.htm • 4 Polaris Project (n.d.). National Human Trafficking Hotline: Hotline Statistics. Washington, D.C.: Polaris. Retrieved from: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/states. • 5 www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0787/Sections/0787.06.html • 6 Bondi, P. (2016). Statewide Council on Human Trafficking: Annual Report 2016. Tallahassee, Florida: Statewide Council on Human Trafficking. Retrieved from: https://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/MNOSAF9P4U/$file/HTAnnualReport2016.pdf. • 7 Polaris Project (n.d.-a). Growing Awareness. Growing Impact: 2017 Statistics from the National Human Trafficking Hotline and BeFreeTextline. Washington, D.C.: Polaris. • 8 Office on Trafficking in Persons (2018, February 9). What is human trafficking? Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/about/what-is-human-trafficking. • 9Rieger, A. (2007). Missing the mark: Why the Trafficking Victims Protection Act fails to protect sex trafficking victims in the United States. Harvard Journal of Law and Gender, 30, 231-256. • 10 Reichert, J. & Sylwestrzak, A. (2013). National survey of residential programs for victims of sex trafficking. Chicago, IL: The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. • 11 Polaris Project (n.d.). Human Trafficking. Washington, D.C.: Polaris. Retrieved from: https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking • 12 Selah Freedom (n.d.). Understanding the Issue: Tools to Fight Sex Trafficking. Retrieved from: https://www.selahfreedom.com/statsandresources. • 13 Selah Freedom. (2019d). Prevention: Getting ahead of exploitation. Retrieved from: https://www.selahfreedom.com/prevention. • 14 Selah Freedom. (2019b). Awareness: Raising our voice for the voiceless. Retrieved from: https://www.selahfreedom.com/awareness. • 15 Selah Freedom. (2019b). Outreach: Building the bridge to freedom. Retrieved from: https://www.selahfreedom.com/outreach. • 16 Selah Freedom. (2019c). Residential: A new beginning. Retrieved from: https://www.selahfreedom.com/residential.