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Published: Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Updated: Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The First Wesleyan Church in Huntington hosted a community forum Saturday to address human trafficking nationally and within West Virginia.
The panel included Cristina Suarez-Ross, victim advocate of the CONTACT Rape Crisis Center, Lt. Donald Frye of the W.Va. State Police, Detective Rodney Pell of the Huntington Police Department, Rhonda Farley, director of Branches, Sherriff Thomas McComas, Social Service Supervisor Hope Smith of the Cabell County Department of Human Resources and Glen Robinson of the First Wesleyan Church.
The panel addressed human trafficking in our state and shared the situations that they had encountered.
Forum director and Special Agent of the FBI Joseph Ciccararelli recognized human trafficking on a national level.
“Human trafficking is a high priority in the FBI,” Ciccararelli said. “I don’t think it’s a huge problem here but we may have issues involved here with human trafficking that we are not aware of.”
Ciccararelli provided tips of how to identify a potential victim.
“Nationally, victim characteristics are usually undocumented citizens that are economically disadvantaged, have a lack of education and have a language barrier,” Ciccararelli said.
Terry Roberts, facilitator of the event, read a recent article written by Amanda Kloer on human trafficking in Ohio.
The Trafficking in Persons Study Commission found that 1800 people are trafficked in Ohio every year, according to the change.org article. This includes 800 immigrants who are exploited in commercial sex and factory work, as well as about 1000 American-born children who are forced into prostitution.
“Trafficking is in our backyard, and talking to people within our own city and state, there are situations that certainly need that definition,” Roberts said.
Lt. Donald Frye of the W.Va. State police said he could remember two situations in W.Va. in which persons tried to sell their children.
“This happens right here at home,” Frye said. “Within the last month at least 1,000 computers have lit up in W.Va. with child pornography. Child abuse and child pornography is a form of child trafficking,” Frye said.
Hope Smith and Rhonda Farley both shared their experiences with cases involving trafficking.
“Homeless children in Cabell County are increasing dramatically,” Smith said. “Some of these children don’t have anything and could easily be victims of a trafficker. We’ve also had teenage prostitution here in Huntington, some are runaways, and some are involved in drugs and in need of money.”
“We have a lot of kids on the streets, and we just really need to reach out and give,” Smith said.
“At Branches I’ve seen one to two cases a year that fit trafficking,” said Rhonda Farley, director of Branches. “I’ve seen a Milton woman sold for prostitution to earn money for her family.”
Farley also had a case where a trafficker kept a woman captive and abused in Barboursville.
“We usually find these victims by complaints in the community,” Ciccararelli said. “Also, the local law enforcement’s response to an incident or information received from non-governmental organizations, churches and community service providers.”
“Service providers and the faith-based community may be in the position to make everyone aware of these issues,” Ciccararelli said. “It’s good for the community and us to work together.”
The U.S. Department of State estimates between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked worldwide. Eighty percent of those victims are female.
There are currently 212 pending investigations in the U.S., Ciccararelli said.
The panel encourages one to contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1.888.373.7888 or contact your local law enforcement with information about a victim of human trafficking.
Kimberly Bradley can be contacted at bradley82@marshall.edu.
The Parthenon - West Virginia talks human trafficking
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