They run away from home or foster care, and then they run out of money for food and housing.<\/p>\n
They run into trouble. Big-time trouble.<\/p>\n
Desperate to survive on the streets with no support system surrounding them, they become easy prey for those who would exploit them.<\/p>\n
They run headlong into the horrific underground world of human trafficking. Labor trafficking. Prostitution. Sex slavery. Or possibly worse.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a taboo topic, but one that needs to see the light of day, according to those on the front lines of fighting human trafficking in San Diego.<\/p>\n On July 20, the North Park Community Association hosted an educational forum at Plymouth Church, designed to raise awareness about \u201cHuman Trafficking.\u201d Speakers included U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego), District 3 Councilmember Todd Gloria, Assistant Police Chief Terry McManus, Chief Deputy City Attorney Jamie Ledezma, and Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Stephan.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a tough topic,\u201d Rep. Davis told the audience. \u201cI know it\u2019s hard to come out and hear about it. It\u2019s not something you can see in your daily lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Slavery: big bucks<\/strong><\/p>\n Human trafficking is a thriving $810 million underground business in San Diego and it\u2019s largely run by organized gangs, organizers said.<\/p>\n How big is the problem? Astonishingly, that dollar amount represents about 3.5 percent of the local economy, moderator Joseph Balestrieri calculated.<\/p>\n Rich or poor, no neighborhood and no socioeconomic or ethnic group is immune from this unsavory criminal operation.<\/p>\n \u201cThey prey on the vulnerable; girls and boys, young women and young men, LGBT and straight,\u201d Stephan said<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no gender distinction; there are men and boys who are also victims,\u201d Ledezma said, dispelling the notion that only girls and women are forced into sex slavery.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a problem citywide and countywide,\u201d she said. \u201cIt happens in Poway, in Miramar, in La Jolla, in Del Mar and in North Park.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a growing problem across the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Lincoln thought he ended slavery when he signed the 13th Amendment\u201d in 1865, Stephan said. \u201cBut human trafficking is in all 50 states today. We thought this only happened in third-world countries, and that we couldn\u2019t do much about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Worldwide, an estimated 27 million people are held against their will and forced into slavery, Stephan said, adding that the crime is grossly underreported because many of the victims exist in the shadows and aren\u2019t known to law enforcement.<\/p>\n Slavery in San Diego<\/strong><\/p>\n The FBI has identified San Diego as having one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the U.S.<\/p>\n A three-year study conducted recently by the University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University found that there are 3,000 to 6,000 victims annually in America\u2019s Finest City, and that organized gangs control 85 percent of the illicit business. Again, the experts believe those numbers are low.<\/p>\n \u201cThose numbers got our attention,\u201d McManus said. \u201cWe were far behind the criminals, who had a head start.\u201d<\/p>\n Stephan called trafficking a lucrative business.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an illegal industry driven by profit \u2026 this is all about making money,\u201d Stephan said.<\/p>\n The landmark study surveyed 1,200 respondents, 800 victims and 146 traffickers. On average, each trafficker or pimp controlled four victims. And those trapped in sexual slavery were expected to earn from $500 on a weekday to $2,000 on weekends.<\/p>\n The predators target young people in particular. Locally, the average age of a first-time sex slave is 16.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are minors,\u201d Stephan said. \u201cThey are being raped.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt does start with running away,\u201d Davis said. \u201cYou need somebody to help you. Often that means turning to the wrong people who only want to exploit you.\u201d<\/p>\n Councilmember Gloria said many residents don\u2019t think about the trafficking problem or know it exists.<\/p>\n \u201cInitially, like other people, I thought it was a victimless crime,\u201d he said. \u201cYou would see a pretty girl on the street, and think nothing of it. But it is a horrible situation \u2026 13- and 14-year-old children are being enticed into prostitution by guys in passing cars.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a big business, and they prey on young people, and this also has a nexus to homelessness,\u201d Gloria continued, calling it \u201cmodern-day slavery.\u201d<\/p>\n Stephan and McManus outlined how the predators work.<\/p>\n Stephan said the traffickers use Snapchat and Facebook, for example, to make connections with gullible youth. The teenagers get invited to parties, where the traffickers ply them with booze and drugs as they cozy up to their potential prey.<\/p>\n They make promises to them: \u201cWe\u2019ll take care of you. We\u2019ll show you how to make easy money. We\u2019ll be there for you.\u201d The victims get lured in, the traffickers photograph and market them online, and post ads on Backpage.com, for example.<\/p>\n McManus said the traffickers are experts at using social media to market their victims.<\/p>\n \u201cThey used technology to stay under the radar for years,\u201d before the authorities figured it out, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cTechnology is a wonderful tool to try to track the traffickers and the horrific nature of the crimes; but it\u2019s the same tool used by the traffickers,\u201d McManus said. \u201cYou see them on the internet and in the digital world.\u201d<\/p>\n Fighting back<\/strong><\/p>\n The San Diego County District Attorney\u2019s Office has been aggressively putting out the word about human trafficking through a website, TheUglyTruthSD.org<\/a>, public service radio ads, bus stop signage, and posters in a number of languages spoken in San Diego.<\/p>\n Stephan said the website crashed the day it debuted due to heavy web traffic, and that the site is now averaging 3,000 hits per day.<\/p>\n Additionally, The Guardian newspaper did a big feature on San Diego\u2019s proactive response to fight sex trafficking.<\/p>\n \u201cThe crime victims suffer in silence,\u201d Stephan said, explaining why the website was created. \u201cNo victim is calling 911 to report a crime. How do we let them know we care about them?\u201d<\/p>\n The message the website presents is simple and effective:<\/p>\n She explained how victims are often beaten, sexually abused, raped, and have a greater rate of HIV infection than the general population. Many are runaways or come from foster homes.<\/p>\n \u201cBring human trafficking into the light,\u201d Stephan said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe County of San Diego has done a masterful job educating the public,\u201d Gloria said.<\/p>\n![\"Hands](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/iStock_60239862_XXXLARGEwebtop.jpg\")
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