Human Trafficking has become a prevalent force to be reckoned with in the past couple of years. There are three types of human trafficking; sex trafficking, forced labor and debt bondage.
The largest sector of Human Trafficking to date is forced labor, also known as involuntary servitude. Involuntary servitude is when a person, or persons, is forced to perform work for the benefit of another person or group. It is akin to a type of slavery.
Many people assume that if they live in a small community, they are safe from the dangers of Human Trafficking. Unfortunately, that idea is being proved wrong.
On April 18, 2022, a Human Trafficking ring was exposed in McClain County. Joshua Cruz owns McClain County Towing and Diesel Engine Mast ers and was the one who stumbled upon the Human Trafficking ring. He was responding to a semi that had broken down across the street from his shop.
Thinking it was a new customer , h e approach ed the semi. That was when Cruz said the weirdest thing happened.
"They started pulling out as fast as they could," he said in an interview. "The driver jumped out, slammed the door, ran around, jumped in the car , and everybody left."
That was when Cruz said they heard people banging on the inside of the trailer , many yelling"help". He opened the trailer to over 50 children cra mmed "like sardines." The estimat ed ages of the children were between 10 and 16 years old.
Cruz said the trailer smelled horrendous, and there were bottles of urine and defecation in there with the children . This means the children had spent a good amount of time in the trailer.
Through broken Spanish, they learned that the children were Guatemalan and were taken against their will in Texas. They also said they had been in the trailer for over 20 hours without a break.
Cruz said that some of the children looked like they had been beaten and starved. He called 911 after giving them food and water.
Unfortunately, while Cruz was on the phone with the emergency dispatcher, the suspects came back and were allegedly armed. Cruz and his crew were also armed, and h e told the dispatcher to send help.
"I told [the dispatch er], 'You need to get some officers down here pretty quick because there's about to be a gun fight,"' Cruz said in his interview. "People were screaming, 'Do not let them get us. They're going to kill us."
When police officers arrived on scene, the emergency lights scared off the suspects. The suspects ran off, as did most of the victims. Seven of the children stayed and are getting assistance.
McClain County may be a larger county than Marshall County, don't think it can't happen h ere. It can happen anywhere.
There are five warning signs for somebody who has been t aken against their will for Human Trafficking. The warning signs are if they appear malnourished, show signs of physical injuries and abuse, avoid eye contact, social interaction, and authority figures, seem to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interaction and lack official identification documents.
For anybody looking for signs of Human Trafficking, there are warning signs to look for. If you are in a store, and somebody seems to follow you throughout the store. If the suspects begin taking photos of the you. If the suspect tries to corner, you and leave you without an exit.
According to the Statista website, Human Trafficking has tripled from 30,961 to 105,787 in the past ten years.
Even though Human Trafficking is on the rise, there are ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim. Be aware of the surroundings. Appear like a h andful, don't portray yourself as weak or sad.
Always be with a group, it's harder to kidnap a person from a group. Be sure to call 911 the moment kidnapping might be a possibility. Do not post on social media or call a friend, call 911.
Always let somebody know where you are going and who you are going with. Share your location with somebody close to you, like your best friend.
Be ready to h andle an attack. Walk with your keys in your hand, with the key part sticking out.
If there seems to be a suspect attempting to kidnap you, make a scene. Do not go quietly, be as loud as you can possibly be. Many kidnappers will abort their plans if you begin to draw attention to them.