Sex Trafficking and Events:The Truth behind the Statistics

By Alexis Bremer

The world of safety and security has changed dramatically over the past few years and events are at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts especially when it comes the need to keep guests safe. Incidents such as active shooter are always brought to the attention of the media, but what about the incidents that aren’t as visible but can equally cause as much destruction. Human Trafficking, or for the purpose of this article, sex trafficking, is quickly becoming a more prevalent crime surrounding events.

In this article, I will articulate the risks that events present as catalysts of Human Trafficking. I will also bring attention to some previously believed myths about the demographics of victims of Human Trafficking as well as the types of events that are believed to increase this type of criminal behavior. As event organizers, our responsibility lies not only in creating long lasting memories for our guests but also to do everything in our power to prevent these risks and start the conversation regarding how we can work to stop this behavior.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security defines Human Trafficking as:

• The act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing or obtaining a person for labor, services of commercial sex acts

• By means of force, fraud or coercion;

• For the purpose of exploitation, involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, slavery or any commercial sex act involving a minor.

It is important to keep in mind that there are multiple types of Human Trafficking. There is sex trafficking, which remains the highest in reported cases of trafficking, and Labor Trafficking which include areas like agriculture and domestic work (Hotline, 2019).

The Super Bowl was originally believed to be the single largest event for Human Trafficking and there are many myths surrounding that belief, however, there are also countless studies that reveal the Super Bowl attracts no more criminal behavior than any other large event within an area. A data study performed by Carnegie Mellon University stated that, “we have identified multiple other venues, events, times, and locations that show a more significant influx of sex advertising than the Super Bowl” (Emily Kennedy, 2016). According to a CNN article written in February of 2019, the initial belief that the Super Bowl was the largest event for Human Trafficking was due to the increased awareness surrounding the event (Grinberg, 2019). The Polaris Project, a leading anti-trafficking group, disagrees that Human Trafficking increases substantially around the Super Bowl and states that trafficking happens all year round in communities around the country. However, “Polaris attributes the boost to heavier promotion of the hotline, not an increase in the prevalence of human trafficking on Super Bowl weekend. If someone calls during the Super Bowl weekend to report being trafficked, they were very likely being trafficked before that too” (Grinberg, 2019). It is not to say that events don’t play a part in attracting sex trafficking to event venues and surrounding areas, however, with increased exposure and awareness of this activity, a light is finally being shown on the under belly of Human Trafficking which mimics the belief that the behavior is drastically increasing around an event.

“The first documented concerns about the impact of major sporting events on sex trafficking were for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Projections of high number of trafficking victims did not materialize, but the response ’set the template‘ for how host cities and NGOs treated sex trafficking in subsequent major international sporting events, including Super Bowls” (Grinberg, 2019). The biggest mistake that can be made by event organizers is to believe that this underground criminal activity is not happening at their event. Although it might not be happening within their event, there is surely sex trafficking happening in surrounding areas brought on by the influx of people attending the event.

One way that the National Cherry Festival has worked toward decreasing all areas of criminal activity was to implement a Unified Command Center within a very close proximity to the festival itself. Unified Command Centers are used by various events to coordinate efforts made by local law enforcement. High tech cameras were also installed within the venue area to have a bird’s eye view of the activity that goes with putting on an event. For example, the cameras were able to catch a local bar fight that was happening just down the road from the festival and local law enforcement was able to review the footage in order to contact the pertinent parties involved.

Data pulled from the 2019 National Human Trafficking Hotline webpage stated that 4,585 cases of Human Trafficking were reported, with 749 of those cases coming from California (Hotline, 2019). Along with the large number of cases reported in 2019, it was also stated that the third top venue for specifically Sex Trafficking was hotel/motel based. Events rely on nearby hotels and motels to help accommodate the influx of people brought to town by their event, however, this also increases the risk factor of Human Trafficking. Of the 4,585 cases reported, 3,736 cases involved females of an adult age. According to research done by Grand Valley State University regarding the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City Michigan, the demographic characteristics collected showed 66% of the attendees were Females (Janes, 2018). We should not be looking at events as merely magnets of Human Trafficking but also the possible ground zero for perpetrators to victimize event guests.

So, the biggest question that some ask is, “why are events targeted for this type of criminal activity?” Now more than ever, Human Traffickers are using the internet to both find their victims as well as to advertise their illegal behaviors. According to an article from NBC News, “To the untrained eye, these ads are nothing more than escorts looking to offer services. But to law enforcement agents, keywords like “young” and “no pimps” can be indicators that the person in the photo is a trafficking victim rather that someone who knowingly entered the illicit trade.” (Saliba, 2016)

Deborah Richardson, Director of the International Human Trafficking Institute at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta states that, “What we do know is whenever you have large events where primarily men come into a place, a city, with a lot of disposable money, you’re going to have human trafficking.” (Hurt, 2019). The top three things to look for while trying to identify signs of trafficked individuals are, 1. Lack of Control, 2. Poor physical health, 3. Abnormal behavior (Hotline, 2019). When referring to lack of control, this would normally resemble a parent or guardian that is in charge of identification documents, money, and is also not allowing the individual to speak for themselves. Poor physical health would be reflected as either poor hygiene, signs of physical abuse, and even malnourishment. Finally, abnormal behavior, which would fall more into the category of possible drug use, exhibits fear and anxious behavior, and sometimes paranoia. Although these signs do not 100% of the time mean that someone if being trafficked, it is important to know what to look for when trying to identify potential victims.

So, what are some ways that we can help decrease the likelihood of Human Trafficking coming to our events? In 2019, the National Cherry Festival and several other events in the Traverse City area partnered together to bring a Human Trafficking guest speaker, Stephanie Krieger, to discuss ways to deter this criminal behavior. Stephanie was familiar with Human Trafficking because she had spent most of her young adult life in the world of trafficked people. She shared her experience regarding how and why people are targeted and then coerced or forced into sex trafficking. According to the Polaris Project, although there are certain signs that might point to the fact that someone if being trafficked, the sign that pertains to most events is, “They have an older, or simply controlling parent, guardian, romantic partner or “sponsor” who will not allow you to meet or speak with the person alone or monitors their movements, spending and/ or communications” (Project, 2020). During this training session, examples of young women with much older men or even women where the young women were given very little freedom could be potential threats of trafficked individuals. The training provided to volunteers as well as staff on the signs of potential human trafficking could be greatly beneficial to event coordinators as well as local law enforcement. The Polaris Project is one such group that offers training in the form of seminars, you can find more information at humantraffickinghotline.org.

Awareness is the first step in identifying possible threats of Human Trafficking within our events. Unified Command Centers have substantially helped by gathering data and disseminating information in real time to prospective agencies. Mardi Gras in New Orleans engaged with Homeland Security to coordinate security efforts during the event. According to sources within Homeland Security, “efforts have already paid off. In February, 2020, two men from Texas were arrested at a hotel in Metairie. The men had brought a woman and her child with them from Texas for the purpose of Prostitution. Jefferson Perish Sheriffs working with Homeland Security were able to rescue the woman and her child.” (Perumean, 2020). During the Super Bowl in 2019, anti-trafficking groups started advertising the Human Trafficking hotline and saw a major boost in cases reported, showing that by offering opportunities to report suspicious behaviors or even victims reporting themselves, it had a major impact during the event time. Unified Command Centers are not only valuable for their boots on the ground, but also the ability to house representatives from local emergency agencies under one roof. The dissemination of information is one of the best ways to get ahead of any potential threat whether it be Human Trafficking, active shooter, theft, or even fraud. Gregg Bird, the Grand Traverse County Emergency Manager whose responsibility lies with coordinating with events around the Grand Traverse Area, stated that the following are benefits of a Command Center,

• A central point of command and coordination for a Unified Command approach

• Face to face with all agencies is the best method of communication

• Central location for surveillance and decision making

• On the spot planning/response-ability (think scrambling of resources for an unplanned issue) to non-festival incidents/ events that may affect the festival

• Immediate communication/coordination ability of festival staff and public safety and/or jurisdictional leadership. Although it is still a struggle to quantify the number of Human Trafficking incidents due to the secrecy and difficulty in identifying victims, efforts made by both event coordinators along with local government agencies can at least offer help to those in need.

References

Emily Kennedy, K. M. (2016). Do Public Events Affect Sex Trafficking Activity? Auton Lab, Carnegie Mellon Universtiy.

Grinberg, E. (2019, February 3). CNN. Retrieved from CNN: https://www.cnn. com/2019/01/31/us/sex-trafficking-superbowl-myth/index.html

Hotline, T. N. (2019, June 30). National Human Trafficking Hotline. Retrieved from humantraffickinghotline.org/states

Hurt, E. (2019, January 31). WABE. Retrieved from WABE: https://www.wabe. org/super-bowl-the-biggest-us-sex-trafficking-event-is-that-a-myth/

Janes, P. (2018). NCF Visitor Study. Grand Valley University.

Perumean, T. (2020, Feburary 17). Sex Trafficking: DHS-ICE take on smugglers during Mardi Gras.

Project, P. (2020). Polaris Project. Retrieved from https://polarisproject.org/ sex-trafficking/

Saliba, E. (2016, February 16). NBC News. Retrieved from NBC News: https:// www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/studytakes-new-look-how-big-events-fuel-us-n519071

Alexis Bremer is the Operations Director with the National Cherry Festival. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University and a Master’s degree in Analysis of Criminal Behavior from Cincinnati University. She participated in an internship with the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center and was fascinated with the field of Open Source Research. The world of safety and security is very important to Alexis and she hopes that she can help other events through her experience and background. Alexis Bremer can be reached at: abremer@cherryfestival.org or 231-947-4230 x 105.

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