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accessHealthNews.net
December 2021
Volume 8 | Issue No. 52
This article was originally published in January 2021.
Due to the sensitive nature of the topic and
industry, the source interviewed has had their
name changed for anonymity purposes. She
works in the human trafficking prevention
industry in Kansas and Missouri, tracing money
movement between trafficking groups and has
undergone multiple trainings with Wichita Police
Department and local organizations in Wichita.
A
ccording to the 2019 Federal Human
Trafficking Report, Missouri ranked among
the top 10 states last year for the number of
defendants prosecuted in human trafficking
cases. Human trafficking, defined in the report
as "the coercive exploitation of another person
for commercial gain," is currently in the public
spotlight. Unfounded conspiracy theories such as
Q-Anon and the connected Wayfair wardrobe
scandal, as well as the high-profile arrest of
NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere for trafficking
women for sex under the guise of a self-help
program, have sensationalized the public
depiction of human trafficking.
However, rural areas such as Missouri and Kansas
often see human trafficking on a much more
intimate scale than the large, violent, organized
operation rings seen in these theories, cults, or
films like Taken. While it is important to be aware
of and discuss the issue of human trafficking,
getting caught up in theories or extreme
cases distracts from the damage being done
locally. Because traffickers in rural areas target
vulnerable people, especially people they have
already established relationships with, it is crucial
to understand what human trafficking looks like,
recognize tell-tale signs to spot, and to know
prevention methods and recovery resources.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING: FORCED LABOR VS
SEX TRAFFICKING
The Human Trafficking Institute criminalizes
human trafficking under two main offenses:
forced labor and sex trafficking. While sex
trafficking is more commonly thought of, Missouri
and Kansas see more forced labor or cases
where the two are connected, such as forced
prostitution or massage parlors, according to
Ariana Moore. Moore works in Missouri and
Kansas spotting financial trends that indicate any
form of trafficking, laundering, or elder financial
crime.
A specific issue is that these are considered
"source states" where traffickers come to
acquire new victims for no known reason to
professionals in the field other than the highway
systems are easily accessible from surrounding
areas and Midwestern hospitality intervenes with
critical thinking. "We are too nice and don't
question people enough," Moore said.
The Federal Human Trafficking Report, a
cumulation of data tracking prosecuted human
trafficking cases in the United States, states that
the majority of victims know their trafficker and
may have an already established relationship
with them, citing social media connections
and fraudulent job advertisements as frequent
forms of recruitment. Traffickers especially target
vulnerable people, using drug dependencies,
the need for shelter and money, or promise
of help with immigration paperwork or status
to keep victims under their control without
necessarily needing to resort to physical
violence.
Rural areas such as the
Midwest are especially
hotspots for forced labor
trafficking because
of travel industries.
According to Moore,
traffickers use "routes"
through the Midwest
to reach new clientele;
buyers also travel
through the area often
for work.
