If you live in Palm Beach County, sources estimate that you likely live within ten miles of a human trafficking victim. Sex trafficking is on the rise; having outpaced the illegal weapons trade, it is projected to overtake the illegal drug trade as the most widespread criminal enterprise in the world. As a hotspot for tourism, Florida is the country’s third-largest magnet for human trafficking. Palm Beach County has the third-highest concentration of human trafficking in the state.
What is human trafficking?
The Florida Legislature recognizes human trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery in which victims are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Hundreds of thousands of victims of all ages are forced into prostitution, farm work, and domestic servitude each year. Traffickers prey upon those who come from troubled backgrounds in search of a better life. Enticed by promises of fruitful jobs, being reunited with family, education opportunities, and other desirable opportunities, human traffickers trap society’s most vulnerable members physically, psychologically, and financially into abusive lives over which they have no control.
Traffickers often take all of their victims’ possessions, including their money and passports to keep them from trying to escape. Victims often work twelve hours or more per day in harsh conditions with no pay. They must live in unsanitary and overcrowded accommodations over which the trafficker has complete control.
Trafficking activities take place behind-the-scenes of seemingly legitimate businesses like hotels, spas, massage parlors, and strip clubs. The Florida Department of Children and Families states that human trafficking reports have shot up 54% from 2015 to 2016.
Why are West Palm Beach teens at risk?
Victims of human trafficking are men, women, boys, and girls. They are U.S. residents, undocumented immigrants, and citizens. They may come from rich, poor or middle-class backgrounds. What they all share in common is vulnerability.
Human trafficking victims are often victims of sexual abuse long before traffickers lure them with false promises.The average age a teen enters the sex trade is 12 to 14 years. Many teen runaways wind up in traffickers’ arms hoping to pursue a better future. Some victims of human trafficking are as young as nine years old.
At any given moment, traffickers exploit approximately 3,500 women and girls for sex in the Palm Beaches. As the third-largest sex trafficking hotspot in Florida, Palm Beach County seeks to educate middle and high school students about the dangers of human trafficking and the signs to identify it. Senate Bill 96 would require all public middle and high school children to learn about human trafficking to empower them to avoid victimization.
Palm Beach County is taking strides to eradicate human trafficking within its borders. A special task force made up of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office, and the FBI has arrested 11 men with ties to human trafficking since October 2017.
As awareness about human trafficking issues increases, reports are bound to go up. If someone has named you as a suspect in a human trafficking crime, the best time to hire a criminal defense attorney in West Palm Beach is before the state files formal charges against you. Call Brian Gabriel of The Law Office of Gabriel & Gabriel at 561-622-5575 or contact Mr. Gabriel online to schedule a free consultation.