Did you know that worldwide, young girls and boys are being sold for sex slavery? Young girls have been sold as young as four-years-old, and some have been forced to service up to 40 men a day. That comes down to a sex slavery sale about every 48 seconds.
These disheartening statistics were discussed at Monday’s Human Trafficking forum, which took place at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office. State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle was present on a panel with other influential community members from the St. Thomas Human Trafficking Academy, Project Gold, immigration and customs enforcement, and other attorneys familiar with these important issues.
Who are likely victims of sex trafficking? It appears that most are either abducted and forced into it or they are tricked into applying for jobs and then before they know it are sold into brothels.
The state of Florida has been cited third in the nation for highest number of human trafficking victims, which has lead to a statewide taskforce on the issue. Rundle also spoke of a Human Trafficking task force that she has now established in Dade County. Why would Miami need such a task force? Miami has been identified as a “gateway” for the trafficking trade. Trafficking victims are acquired from all parts of the world (Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Argentina, Honduras, Haiti, Thailand, Hungary, etc) and are brought to Miami and forced into slavery. South Florida has been cited as having a significant number of “pimps” that are targeting vulnerable and scared minors. Although these “pimps” have traditionally been men, South Florida is starting to see adult females now pimping minor females. Another shift is that more young boys are becoming victims of this forced prostitution.
The State Attorney’s Office reported that only about eight cases of trafficking are actually prosecuted each year. This number is grossly below the actual number of cases that exist. Part of this may be due to a seemingly insufficient Florida Statute (F.S.796.045) that requires force, fraud, or coercion to be established before a case can be made against sex trafficking perpetrators. This is inconsistent with other state statutes that protect minors and is also inconsistent with the federal statute for sex trafficking!
Two general questions were being asked at the forum, and these questions seem to be the key in addressing these human trafficking problems more efficiently. First is how can we all better identify these sex trafficking victims? And second is, how can we better meet the needs of victims?
If you would like to find out ways you can help Miami fight this horrific trend or would just like more information, please watch this video and be sure to visit the appropriate links above. The city of Miami really needs your help with raising awareness about this issue. Do not allow your city to continue to be a gateway for suffering, torment, and agony.
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