The Office of Student Affairs hosted an event called Human Trafficking 101, in which there were 65 attendees, as part of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Workshop Series.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Stephanie Ramos, Human Trafficking Coordinator at YWCA, was the host of the event. She covered basic terms used to describe human trafficking, statistics on victims each year, forms of human trafficking, and prevention tools.
Some signs to notice from students who are victims of human trafficking could be a change in their school attendance, deameanor and attitude, and branding. Branding can include specific tattoos that pimps use to identify the women they are pimping.
Other signs are having refillable gift cards, owning multiple phones and social media accounts, third-party control of schedule, unexplained bruises and sexually provocative pictures on a phone or computer are some few examples.
A pimp is often used to describe a person who is using women or men to form human trafficking.
There are three types of pimps.
The “CEO pimp” is like a businessman and does cherry-picking. This may include posing as an agent and promising aspiring models or actors with management and contracts.
A “Romeo pimp” is someone who dates women and uses charm to take victims.
“Gorilla pimps” use violence, kidnapping or blackmailing to control victims.
Ramos said that human trafficking victims often include vulnerable populations such as runaways, homeless youth, undocumented workers, LBGTQ+ individuals and people with disabilites.
Traffickers will often use social media sites such as Instagram, Kik, Tinder, Plenty Of Fish, Meet Me, and Diamond Link to seek potential victims.
Ramos said that when human trafficking victims are apprehended by the police they tend to be tried as prostitutes instead as a human trafficking victim, and oftentimes they are not given the proper sources to seek a way out.
The legal system is not working in favor of victims, said Ramos.
“What we see lacking is a taking sexual violence and abuse as serious,” said Ramos. “More laws need to be out into place to protect victims who have committed crimes because a lot of victims are forced not only to sleep with 30-35 people a day but to commit crimes such as selling drugs.”
YWCA offer free service for human trafficking victims such as a 24-hour hotlime, accompaniment, advocacy, case management, and counseling.
Ramos said, “If you’re going to go out, make sure to tell someone like friends or family. Share your location with someone you trust, be aware of your surroundings and avoid accepting drinks from someone you don’t know.”
She also said that oversharing sometimes can work against you, and your vulnerability can be taken advantage of. She recommended reaching out to school resources if you need someone to talk to.
“Create a plan if you walk home alone so your family or friends know what route you are taking,” said Ramos.
Sylvia Garcia, a student conduct specialist at LBCC said, “The topic of human trafficking is important. It’s often referred to as the silent killer because it happens around us and we may not be aware of it. We want to give our students that information to avoid putting themselves in those situations.”
This is the first qualifying event out of 5 that students can attend in order to receive a certification of completion from YWCA. To earn a certification students must attend at least 3 out of the 5 marked with a purple ribbon as shared in the flyer.
In deciding to present this information to students, it was not from a report or concerns raised by any particular person or group of people, said Garcia.
“We want to plant seeds to help recognize and raise awareness,” she said.
Sergio Grimaldi, Healthy Viking coordinator said, “The goal is to prevent and be proactive. As the name suggests, Sexual Violence and Prevention and Education Workshop, we want to be preemptive.”
Human trafficking is a $150 billion-a-year global industry. According to the Labor Organization there is an estimated more than 24.9 million human trafficking victims.
YWCA is an organization who aims to eliminate racism and empower women. Over 160 years, the organization has worked to improve the lives of women, girls and communities of color through advocacy, local programming and services.
If you are a victim of human trafficking please reach out for help at the YWCA 24-hour hotline at 1-877- 943-5778. You can also contact the LBCC Student Health Services at (562) 938-4210.