HUMAN TRAFFICKING: IT’S HAPPENING IN OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS

Crude oil. Coffee. Gold. Sugar. Cotton. They’re among the most widely traded commodities in the world — raw materials that are collected and used to produce what we need for everyday living. Commodities form the basis of our economy.

But it’s not just commodities that are being bought and sold. Tragically, there is also a flourishing slave trade that deals in people — most often, girls and young women — for purposes of sexual or labor exploitation. Their average age of entry is 16 years old.

Human trafficking is big business: about $150 billion a year and growing. That’s about three times the size of the global sugar market.

I became more aware of the trafficking problem when the National Conflict Resolution Center recognized San Diego resident Buki Domingos as a local peacemaker of the year, at our 2019 Peacemaker Awards dinner.

Born in Nigeria, Domingos came to the United States in 2013. Unknowingly, she became enmeshed in a human trafficking scheme, forced to perform as a singer without pay. After escaping her situation, Domingos used her voice in song and speeches to raise awareness of the issue. She focused on the plight of Black immigrant women, who are disproportionately victimized.

Still, I thought of trafficking as something that largely occurred far away, with victims transported across state lines or international borders.

Recently, I attended a fundraiser for a local nonprofit organization called Free to Thrive, which provides legal and support services to human trafficking survivors. I learned the pervasiveness of trafficking right here in San Diego County — in many of our own neighborhoods, as a matter of fact.

According to the FBI, San Diego is ranked among the 13 worst regions in the United States for human trafficking, with as many 8,000 victims each year.

As a business, trafficking generates more than $810 million annually for San Diego’s underground economy, second only to the drug trade.

It’s not a matter of kids being plucked off our streets. Deception, coercion and force are the tools favored by human traffickers. Sometimes, the perpetrators are “insiders” like family members, boyfriends and peers. The risk of trafficking is unsurprisingly greatest among the most vulnerable, including runaways and youth who are homeless or living in foster care. Victims often share a history of child abuse or domestic violence.

COVID-19 whipped up a perfect storm for online predators. Tips of online recruitment of children, as reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, nearly doubled from 6.3 million in the first half of 2019 to 12 million in the first half of 2020.

In the war against human trafficking, early intervention is crucial. So, too, is collaboration. Young lives are at risk. So this issue deserves our immediate attention.

Along with Free to Thrive and other local nonprofit organizations, the San Diego County District

Attorney’s Office is actively combatting human trafficking through its Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking Unit. It includes prosecutors, investigators, paralegals, victim advocates and staff who are working together on all fronts: detection, prevention, education and prosecution. Similarly, the U.S. Attorney’s Office established a Violent Crimes and Human Trafficking Section in 2019 to lead collaborations between federal and local law enforcement for the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases.

We have to educate ourselves on the warning signs of human trafficking and know what to do if we suspect it. Too often, the people who are closest to trafficking victims — parents, teachers, friends — are unaware of abuse happening right in front of their eyes.

Knowledge can make a real difference. In 2007, a national organization called Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) was established for members of the trucking, bus and energy industries. TAT — which positions itself as the “eyes and ears of our nation’s highways” — has trained more than 1 million truck drivers, store cashiers and other staff to take action when they observe suspicious or unusual behavior, consistent with trafficking. So far, the training has resulted in 2,692 calls made on behalf of 1,296 potential trafficking victims.

Calls are made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, a 24/7 resource for getting help when a human trafficking situation is observed. Victims can call the hotline to be connected with local law enforcement and social service providers who can help them get out of exploitative situations and into a safe environment.

The toll-free number is 1-888373-7888. I’ve put it into my phone. You should, too. It could save the most precious commodity of all: a life.

Dinkin is president of the National Conflict Resolution Center, a San Diego-based group working to create solutions to challenging issues, including intolerance and incivility. To learn about NCRC’S programming, visit ncrconline.com.