Hidden in plain sight

By John Newton, La Voz Latina, Savannah, Ga.

     In an upscale subdivision of Laredo, Texas, a man doing roof work peered over his neighbor's 8-foot concrete wall and was horrified by what he saw- a frail little girl, covered in cuts and bruises, chained to a post in the scorching sun. He immediately called the Laredo police who used bolt cutters to free the child, a 12-year-old Mexican  girl suffering from dehydration and exposure.

     Seven months earlier, Laredo homeowner, Sandra Bearden, traveled to a small village in the state of Veracruz and convinced the child's parents to allow her to come to the United States for a better life as a maid. A subsequent investigation revealed that the little girl spent each morning cleaning Bearden's home [after which] she was taken outside, chained, bound, and left with no food or water.

     Last month, Nola Theiss, the founder and executive director of HTAP (Human Trafficking Awareness partnerships, Inc.), traveled to Savannah and shared this and several other horrific examples of human slavery in the United States  at a training seminar on human trafficking sponsored by SWAHT (Savannah Working Against Human Trafficking, Inc.)

     A coalition of concerned citizens, social workers, and law enforcement personnel, SWAHT was formed two years ago to educate Savannah residents about human trafficking, a criminal activity that currently victimizes an estimated 12 to 27 million people worldwide.

     Theiss is the former mayor of Sanibel, FL and holds a Masters in Public Administration as well as degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Illinois. For 6 years, she has dedicated herself to the issue of human trafficking - fighting it through public awareness and using the skills she has developed through her work as an educator, writer, administrator, public official and scholar, helping communities form their own community based organizations.  She has received numerous awards including national recognition as a Purpose Prize Fellow.

     Theiss said the chains used to enslave many of today's victims are not the literal ones cited in the Texas example.

     “Human traffickers use many tactics to control their victims,” she said. “Imprisonment and the threat of violence are just two examples. Collusion, where the victim is forced to break the law by shoplifting or using drugs, creates a barrier between the victim and police. Also, many victims who are smuggled into the US illegally are isolated and convinced that they face deportation or imprisonment if they complain to authorities.”

     Cultural beliefs are also used to exploit trafficking victims.

     “In Florida, a young girl was found by police in an apartment owned by immigrant field supervisors,” Theiss said. “She worked in the fields all day and was used as a sex slave at night. When the girl was first interviewed by a social worker, she refused to talk. She said her boss had given a lock of her hair to a witch doctor who put a hex on her. The social worker then suspended the interview and left the room for a few minutes. Upon returning, she told the girl that she found another witch doctor who had removed the hex. Only then was the girl willing to talk.”

    According to Theiss, sex trafficking is a huge problem in the US because it is such a lucrative activity.

     “Its a high-profit, low risk crime,” she said. “ Many young American girls say that their quota is $1000 a night. 6 nights times 52 weeks = $312,000 per girl per year. Many pimps have a minimum of 6 girls so that equals $1,872,000 per year from just 6 girls. And sometimes all it takes to gain a young girl's trust is a cup of Starbucks coffee and a prepaid cellphone.”