January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month. What to know

PREVENTION MONTH. HUMAN TRAFFICKING MEANS EXPLOITING A PERSON FOR LABOR SERVICES OR SEX. IT’S CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING ILLEGAL INDUSTRIES, WITH MORE THAN 27 MILLION ESTIMATED VICTIMS. JOINING US THIS MORNING IS RAFAEL INFANTINO WITH THE COMMUNITY AGAINST SEXUAL HARM. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, MIKE. 27 MILLION. THAT’S A STAGGERING NUMBER, ISN’T IT? IT IS LARGE AND I THINK IT’S UNCONCEIVABLE FOR SOME FOLKS THAT HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED SOMETHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE, WHICH OF COURSE WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR. SO I THINK THE IMPORTANT PART IS, IS UNDERSTANDING WHAT’S GOING ON IN SACRAMENTO. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THERE ARE SOME WAYS THAT PERPETRATORS ARE TARGETING FOLKS, AND THAT’S VULNERABILITIES. AND MOST OF THE TIME THAT IS SIMPLE AS YOUR BASIC NEEDS NOT BEING MET. YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON’T HAVE A HOME TO GO TO, IF YOU DON’T HAVE FOOD TO EAT, IF YOU DON’T HAVE A JOB, IF YOU DON’T HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM. AND HONESTLY, IF YOU LOOK AROUND, WE’RE ALL A LITTLE VULNERABLE. SURE. YEAH. SO DEPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT’S PRESENTING, IT’S DEFINITELY TARGETED BY THOSE. AND AND IT’S ONE THING TO IF YOU’RE THE PERSON WHO IS VICTIMIZED BY THIS, BUT AS YOU JUST TOUCHED ON, IT’S HAPPENING ALL AROUND US. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIGNS THAT WE CAN LOOK OUT FOR TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT BE TARGETED OR IN TROUBLE? ABSOLUTELY. SURE. SO QUICK CHANGE IN ANY BEHAVIOR. IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE, RIGHT? IF THEY’RE CONSTANTLY ON THEIR PHONE OR HAVE TO LEAVE THE ROOM SPECIFICALLY TO ANSWER THEIR TELEPHONE IF THINGS ARE COMING UP, WHETHER IT’S THINGS YOU COULD PURCHASE WITH MONEY, LET’S SAY SOMEONE GETS THEIR NAILS DONE OR SOMEONE GETS A NEW GAME SYSTEM, ANYTHING THAT YOU KNOW THEY WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO ACQUIRE ON THEIR OWN, ESPECIALLY FOR MINORS. I THINK THAT’S A BIG SIGN IS, YOU KNOW, YOU AS A PARENT, IF YOU’RE SEEING THOSE CHANGES OR LACK OF INTEREST ANYMORE IN THE NORMAL THINGS THAT A PERSON WOULD WANT TO DO, WHETHER IT’S SPORTS, ACADEMICS OR EVEN CONVERSATION, THOSE CAN BE SOME SIGNS I GOT TO IMAGINE YOU JUST TOUCHED ON THE IDEA THAT A LOT OF THE MAYBE THE LARGEST CROWD WHO IS AFFECTED BY THIS ARE MINORS, BUT ARE THERE OTHER FOLKS, OTHER AGE GROUPS THAT MAYBE YOU MIGHT EVEN BE SURPRISED? THAT COULD BE VICTIMS? OF COURSE, IT DOESN’T DISCRIMINATE. ANYBODY CAN BE VICTIMIZED, YOU KNOW, AND IT CAN BE UNHEALED TRAUMA. I KNOW THAT THAT’S A DEEP ROOTED ONE IS COMPLEX TRAUMA BECAUSE THAT CAN BE TARGETED. YOU KNOW, IF SOMEONE ISN’T FEELING WELL ABOUT THEMSELVES, A KIND, YOU KNOW, GUIDED COMPLIMENT IS WHAT IT MIGHT BE PERCEIVED AS FOR SOMEONE WHO ISN’T AWARE OF THOSE COERCIVE SIGNS OR SOMEONE SEEING THAT MAYBE THEY DON’T FEEL THAT GREAT ABOUT THEMSELVES AND AND THEY’RE RIGHT THERE TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY LOOK GOOD. YEAH. AND FOLKS MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THE RESOURCES OUT THERE. SO WHAT DOES CASH OFFER. ABSOLUTELY. SO CASH IS A DROP IN CENTER LOCATED IN THE HEART OF OAK PARK. WE ARE OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FROM 1230 TO 430. FOR ANYONE WHO IDENTIFIES AS FEMALE THAT HAS EXPERIENCED SOME FORM OF COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN THEIR LIFE. AND WITH THAT, IT’S A LOW BARRIER. WE HAVE FOOD THERE, WE HAVE CLOTHING CLOSET AND OUR NEWEST ADDITION, WHICH I LOVE, IS THE CLINIC. EVERYONE NEEDS MEDICAL CARE, BUT NOT EVERYBODY HAS IDENTIFICATION, YOU KNOW, OR MEDICAL COVERAGE. AND WE COVER THAT FOR THEM. YEAH. YOU SEE THAT INFORMATION RIGHT THERE ON YOUR SCREEN? WE’LL GET YOU OUT OF HERE ON THIS. THERE’S A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION HAPPENING TONIGHT. YES. PLEASE COME AND JOIN US AT CITY OF REFUGE, LOCATED AT 3216 MARTIN LUTHER. MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR. EXCUSE ME. WE WILL BE HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH SOME ADVOCATES, INCLUDING MYSELF, STARTING AT 6 P.M. TONIGHT. PLEASE REACH OUT FOR MORE INFORMATION. AGAIN, 6 P.M