Victims of Human Trafficking Can Take on the Face of Anybody

The Kathy Jackson Story

Close your eyes and think about your family, friends, children, neighbors, and yourself. As the images appear in your head, please think about your connection to them, their strengths and weaknesses if you know them. What is their behavior when they engage with other people. Now what about you? What about your family members? What about your friends and their families? Each scenario supports that fact that you to see all the faces that you interact with because each of those faces can be potential victims of human trafficking.

I am not sharing this story to scare you, but to inform you. Human trafficking is a growing epidemic worldwide, and it happens in the blink of an eye. Millions of men, women, and children are abducted and placed into human trafficking rings nationally. According to Blue Campaign, “Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations”. (Blue Campaign, n.d.) Most people don’t know that human trafficking is the second most profitable illegal activity in the world. (Human Rights First, 2017) So what is human trafficking? “This act against humanity involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.” (Blue Campaign, n.d.) The act itself, is known as Modern Day Slavery.

Today, the enslavers have almost perfect plans to lure their victims into a lifetime of servitude. As reported by the Birmingham Times, “human trafficking is a $150 billion industry, and it is the second most profitable illegal activity in the world”. (Worthy, 2017) Victims of human trafficking are estimated to be over 20 million people worldwide and growing. So why so many victims and so little is known about this vast industry? The fear inflicted upon the victims, and current laws may get a victim incarcerated instead of getting them the help they need. The Kathy Jackson's story illuminates just how close to home human trafficking is. The victims of human trafficking can take on any face.

Kathy Jackson was a bright young college student. She was a good student, came from a good family, went to a good school, and enjoyed college life. You meet many different people in college, experience new things, and make lifelong memories. Of course, this is the every young collage student's dream. Are you thinking back on those days, currently in those days, or can’t wait for those days to come? For Kathy, her time had come, and she met who she thought to was the perfect friends.

During their short friendship, her friends wanted to know all about her. Where she was from? Who are your mom and dad? Do they work, if so where? When are you in college? Intuition alert went off during these questioning sessions, but she ignored them, thinking she was paranoid. Soon afterward, her friends invited her to a jazz festival in Chicago.

Kathy’s intuition kicked in again, warning that maybe she shouldn’t go on the trip. Again, she ignored it and went to Chicago against her better judgment. She thought that it would be rude if she said “no.” When they arrive in Chicago, they checked into a beautiful hotel. Kathy wanted to stay in the room and stud, but her friends convinced her to go to lunch with them. Her so-called friends took her to a condo where she was beaten, assaulted, and raped. Kathy was trafficked all over the world. She said that there were only two continents and five states that she hadn’t been in for more than a day. Kathy was a victim of human trafficking for three decades. She was saved when she had heart failure and was admitted in the hospital for surgery. The ailment allowed her to get a message to the doctor, and they had her moved to a different room so that her handler wouldn’t be able to find her again.

Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking, and it can happen anywhere. Traffickers prey on victims that may be in an abusive family situation, runaways, victims of child abuse, the homeless, those suffering from drug abuse, and those with mental illness. The prime age for these victims is between twelve and fourteen. According to General Charles Krulak,

These young girls are easily groomed and caught up in a sex trafficking ring by someone they believe loves them, tells them they will take care of them, keep them safe, and they make them feel important. After an emotional connection with the monster develops, he puts the girl or boy on the streets, transforming them into a commercial sex zombie. Their pimp, handler, or traffickers will often advertise them on sites like Backpage.com and Craiglist.com. Broken, emotionally drained, feelings of worthlessness, alone and unloved, is one reason for suicide among this population. (Worthy, 2017)

Birmingham, AL may seem small compared to some metropolitan areas; however, don’t let the size fool you. Birmingham has a dark secret. It is the central hub for human trafficking in the southeast. Krulak says that, "Birmingham sits on three of the busiest, most traveled

trafficking interstates. Interstates I-65 and I-20, known as Malfunction Junction, directly link Atlanta and Birmingham. Additionally, I-59 and I-459 interconnect with major ports and cities, making them a magnet for illegal trafficking. Truck stops along these routes are hubs for trafficking activity as well. (Worthy, 2017)

Human trafficking is a global problem. We can attack human trafficking through awareness, education, better laws, safe places, resources, and places for victims to heal. One of the resources that helped Kathy Jackson heal was the Well House. The Well House is a faith-based nonprofit in Alabama that offers various services to women and girls who have been sexually exploited due to human trafficking, (Worthy, 2017). If you would or know someone in need of information about their services, resources, or would like to donate, click the link: https://www.the-wellhouse.org

Reference:

Blue Campaign. (n.d.). Play a role. Play a Role | Homeland Security. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/play-role

Human Rights First. (2017, January 7). Human trafficking by the numbers. Human Rights First. Retrieved March 3, 2022, from https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/human-trafficking-numbers

Worthy, A. (2017, February 16). $150 billion human trafficking industry flows through Birmingham. The Birmingham Times. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.birminghamtimes.com/2017/02/150-billion-human-trafficking-industry-flows-through-birmingham/