{"id":16742,"date":"2021-10-06T01:30:58","date_gmt":"2021-10-06T01:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/?p=16742"},"modified":"2021-10-05T19:57:04","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T19:57:04","slug":"idaho-human-trafficking-report-reveals-zero-crimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/2021\/10\/06\/idaho-human-trafficking-report-reveals-zero-crimes\/","title":{"rendered":"Idaho Human Trafficking Report Reveals Zero Crimes"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Eric Valentine<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Zero new criminal human trafficking cases were filed in federal courts in 2020.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a fact you\u2019d think the organization whose mission it is to \u201cdecimate modern slavery\u201d would be celebrating. At the very least, it seems it should be one of those pandemic-caused anomalies those same folks could explain away. You\u2019d be wrong on both counts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll the data points to the fact that human trafficking crimes are everywhere. What this report shows you is that the laws are not being enforced,\u201d Alyssa Currier Wheeler, associate legal counsel for the Human Trafficking Institute, said. \u201cIf you look at the reports from non-COVID years, you can see that the number of cases are very low.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wheeler is correct. Some excerpts from this year\u2019s report on human trafficking in Idaho:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf \u201cIn Idaho, zero new criminal human trafficking cases were filed in federal courts in 2020. Zero defendants were convicted. There were zero active defendants, so zero percent of active defendants were charged with sex trafficking, and zero percent were charged with forced labor. Since zero defendants were convicted federally, none were ordered to pay restitution to their victims. Federal courts have never ordered a convicted Idaho human trafficking defendant to pay restitution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf In 2018, 4 new criminal cases of human trafficking were started<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf In 2017, 1 new civil case of human trafficking was started<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf In 2016, 1 new criminal case of human trafficking was started<\/span><\/p>\n

And all that\u2019s not necessarily a critique on Idaho law enforcement nor federal law enforcement as it pertains to Idaho. Yet, it may be a critique on what our society tolerates and\/or even recognizes as criminal in the first place. <\/span><\/p>\n

From the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, since many children are never reported missing, there is no reliable way to determine the total number of children who are actually missing in the U.S. When a child is reported missing to law enforcement, federal law requires that child be entered into the FBI\u2019s National Crime Information Center, also known as NCIC. According to the FBI, in 2020 there were 365,348 NCIC entries for missing children. In 2019, the total number of missing children entries into NCIC was 421,394. In 2020, NCMEC assisted law enforcement, families and child welfare with 29,782 cases of missing children.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

NCMEC goes on to explain that the 365,348 number represents reports of missing children. That means if a child runs away multiple times in a year, each instance would be entered into NCIC separately and counted in the yearly total. Likewise, if an entry is withdrawn and amended or updated, that would also be reflected in the total. <\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless, any resulting number seems enormous.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMissing children and the trafficking of humans (children and adults) are two distinct issues. But the vulnerabilities that exist for each are often the same,\u201d Wheeler said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Wheeler said two of the most common things that make someone vulnerable to exploitation are:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Whether a person has a substance abuse issue<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Whether a person has gone through foster care<\/span><\/p>\n

Defining the Problem<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

For Wheeler, she hopes reports like the one her organization has been issuing over the years triggers urgency not apathy. Step one: Know the problem. Step two: Know the problem is global.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the United Nations:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHuman trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Men, women and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world. The traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Or, as Wheeler puts it: \u201cThis is not a Liam Neeson movie. This is not a child being pulled into a van off the side of the street.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather\u2014in some instances at least\u2014it\u2019s a little more like one party (the victim) somehow believing they are complicit in some way. That\u2019s not to say the victim believes they are committing a crime; it\u2019s saying they believe something they did has put them in a situation where they want the matter to go away and that whatever they are doing now\u2014be it selling drugs during sex work or working for free or on the cheap at a nail salon\u2014they must. Some classic examples include paying off a debt or fleeing one bad situation for something they thought better but could be worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seeing the Problem<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

There is a step 3 to all of this, and if you are still reading, it involves you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEducate yourself. Report it when you see it,\u201d Wheeler said. <\/span><\/p>\n

And report it correctly. The phone lines are clogged up, Wheeler said, with reports of trafficking that are not trafficking, taking resources away from the cases that need law enforcement\u2019s intentions. A number of resources online can help clarify matters and direct concerns. One example is StopTheTraffick.org which has examples of trafficking and signs it may be happening. <\/span><\/p>\n

Examples of trafficking: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Sexual exploitation<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Labor exploitation<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Domestic servitude<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Forced marriage<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Forced criminality<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Child soldiers<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Organ harvesting<\/span><\/p>\n

Signs they may be happening are if a person:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Acts as if instructed by another<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Demonstrates signs of physical or psychological abuse, such as lacking self-esteem, seeming anxious, bruising or untreated medical conditions<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Seems to be bonded by debt or has money deducted from their salary<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Has little or no contact with family or loved ones<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Is distrustful of authorities<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Has threats made against themselves or family members<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Is not in possession of their own legal documents<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2020\u2014A Whole Lot of Zeroes<\/b><\/p>\n

\u25cf New criminal human trafficking cases were filed in federal courts = 0 <\/b><\/p>\n

\u25cf Defendants convicted = 0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u25cf Active defendants = 0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u25cf Active defendants charged with sex trafficking = 0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u25cf Active defendants charged with forced labor = 0 <\/b><\/p>\n

\u25cf Defendants ordered to pay restitution to their victims = 0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u25cf Federal courts that have ordered a convicted Idaho human trafficking defendant to pay restitution (ever) = 0<\/b><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Eric Valentine Zero new criminal human trafficking cases were filed in federal courts in 2020. That\u2019s a fact you\u2019d think the organization whose mission it is to \u201cdecimate modern slavery\u201d would be celebrating. At the very least, it seems it should be one of those pandemic-caused anomalies those same folks could explain away. You\u2019d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,83,18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16742","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime","8":"category-idaho","9":"category-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16742"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16746,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16742\/revisions\/16746"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}