The Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force is led by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and Operation SafeHouse. It is a public and private partnership joined together to develop resources in the county to locate, identify, educate, prevent, intervene and treat victims of human trafficking and exploitation.
The goal of the task force is to coordinate services tailored to the characteristics and circumstances of these victims, train law enforcement on investigation and detection, educate the public and to create awareness to protect people from abuse and exploitation.
The U.S. Department of Justice estimated 14,500 to 19,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year. “Human Trafficking has grown from a $9 billion to a $33 billion a year industry, and it rivals drug and arms trafficking for the most profitable criminial enterprise,” Riverside said Police Officer, James Barrette.
Human Trafficking ~ Additional Factors for Domestic Minors of Trafficking
Many victims do not self –identify: Due to the systematic psychological manipulation perpetrated by traffickers, many girls do not view themselves as victims. They are coached to lie and what to say in order to protect the trafficker/pimp. Many victims have history of abuse that may impact their perception of what constitutes acceptable behavior.
A dearth in protective shelter and appropriate services leaves victim-witnesses with lack of trust in the system: Services and protection for victims of domestic minor sex trafficking have been found to be lacking on a nationwide level. This was thought to be partly addressed with the reauthorization of Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2005; however, since the funding was never allocated, these services were never made available. Victims are acutely aware of the failings within the justice system, social service system, and child protective services. They are skeptical of promises of help and protection because they’ve heard the promises before and these promises are rarely fulfilled.
(Resource Riverside County Human Trafficking task force, 2011)
If you think someone is a victim of trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center @ 1.888.3737.888 or visit www.ach.hhs.gov/trafficking
Riverside County emergency response Numbers: Jennifer O’Farrell, Operation SafeHouse Anti-Human Trafficking Director, (951) 207-7822, Deputy Aron Wolfe, Riverside County Sheriff Department, (909) 917-8151
See our July issue for Part 2.