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Photo of Barbara Maphet at the time she became a sex trafficking victim.
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Maphet said she was a teenager at an Oklahoma City-area high school when she became a human trafficking victim. She said she was 17, homeless and addicted to drugs at the time.
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OATH is hosting a "Take the Oath" golf tournament October 9 at the Coffee Creek Golf Club to raise money and awareness for human trafficking.By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9
OKLAHOMA CITY -- It's considered a form of modern-day slavery and one Oklahoma group wants to bring more attention to the growing crime of human trafficking. To help raise awareness, Barbara Maphet is sharing her personal story with NEWS 9.
Maphet, 35, said she was a teenager at an Oklahoma City-area high school when she became a sex trafficking victim.
At the time she was 17, homeless and addicted to drugs. That's when someone suggested she get a job with two men who were looking to hire a professional card dealer. So, she met the men at an apartment complex in west Oklahoma City.
"They asked me to shuffle the cards to see what my shuffling skills were like," said Maphet. Following the so-called job interview, Maphet said the men wined-and-dined her at a local restaurant and then took her to a hotel off Interstate 40.
"I got up to walk around the room and the older man's demeanor changed," said Maphet. "He got very stern. Very straight, and told me to strip. Seeing how I had no other options, or so I thought, I agreed."
It's then Maphet, who now lives in western Oklahoma, went from being a struggling high school student to a statistic.
Read more of Barbara Maphet's story.
Sex and labor trafficking make up the two most common forms of human trafficking in the United States, and Oklahoma is a prime target for traffickers because of its central location and major highways.
In 2004, the FBI program "Stormy Nights" saved more than a dozen children from a prostitution ring operating at Oklahoma City truck stops.
"It's not just a third world country problem. It happens here," said Krista Bates, a member of OATH or Oklahomans Against Trafficking of Humans.
OATH is hosting a "Take the Oath" golf tournament October 9 at the Coffee Creek Golf Club. Bates said the goal of the tournament is to raise money and awareness.
"It's a hard subject to process for a lot of people and you'll either get into denial or it'll grab a hold of you," said Bates.
Learn more about human trafficking in Oklahoma.
OKLAHOMA CITY -- It's considered a form of modern-day slavery and one Oklahoma group wants to bring more attention to the growing crime of human trafficking. To help raise awareness, Barbara Maphet is sharing her personal story with NEWS 9.
Maphet, 35, said she was a teenager at an Oklahoma City-area high school when she became a sex trafficking victim.
At the time she was 17, homeless and addicted to drugs. That's when someone suggested she get a job with two men who were looking to hire a professional card dealer. So, she met the men at an apartment complex in west Oklahoma City.
"They asked me to shuffle the cards to see what my shuffling skills were like," said Maphet. Following the so-called job interview, Maphet said the men wined-and-dined her at a local restaurant and then took her to a hotel off Interstate 40.
"I got up to walk around the room and the older man's demeanor changed," said Maphet. "He got very stern. Very straight, and told me to strip. Seeing how I had no other options, or so I thought, I agreed."
It's then Maphet, who now lives in western Oklahoma, went from being a struggling high school student to a statistic.
Read more of Barbara Maphet's story.
Sex and labor trafficking make up the two most common forms of human trafficking in the United States, and Oklahoma is a prime target for traffickers because of its central location and major highways.
In 2004, the FBI program "Stormy Nights" saved more than a dozen children from a prostitution ring operating at Oklahoma City truck stops.
"It's not just a third world country problem. It happens here," said Krista Bates, a member of OATH or Oklahomans Against Trafficking of Humans.
OATH is hosting a "Take the Oath" golf tournament October 9 at the Coffee Creek Golf Club. Bates said the goal of the tournament is to raise money and awareness.
"It's a hard subject to process for a lot of people and you'll either get into denial or it'll grab a hold of you," said Bates.
Learn more about human trafficking in Oklahoma.
Barbara Maphet Shares Story of Years as Sex Trafficking Victim - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |
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