Not Just Tickets for Sale.

Parts of this Op-Ed were originally posted here

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While hurrying through New York’s Herald Square last winter, I was stopped on the street by a small Asian woman. Accustomed, as New Yorkers are, to having a wall up, it took me a moment to slow down and acknowledge her. I turned to face her, the lights of the Empire State Building against my back. “Yes?” I asked her.

She hesitated, hiding behind her long black hair. She was shorter than I was, smaller than five feet, and it was difficult to judge her age. She mumbled something, and I caught a brief glimpse of her bewildered face behind her hair. I couldn’t understand her. “I’m sorry?” I asked abruptly, half-wondering if this was a ploy to distract me and allow an accomplice to grab my bag (another typical New York reaction).

She took a deep breath and mumbled something unintelligible again. As I leaned in to hear her, I caught sight of the garish lights of the Asian chain restaurant behind her. “Oh,” I thought, “She’s the hostess for this place and she’s trying to get me to come in.” And before I realized what I was doing, I straightened up and strode away, with a touch of annoyance. It wasn’t until I got halfway down the subways stairs that I paused to question my assumption. For as I’d turned away from her, I saw her eyes widen in pleading and heard a small, frustrated sigh escape her mouth.

I should have turned back around.

Recently, the New York Times reported on the arrest of a Queens woman suspected of involvement in a human-trafficking ring that smuggled young Korean women into the U.S. for the purpose of sexual exploitation. These women were brought into the country using false documents, lured by the promise of imaginary jobs. Upon arrival, they were stripped of their identities and forced to work as prostitutes to pay off tens of thousands of dollars in debt to the smugglers. They were told if they disobeyed, they’d be turned over to the immigration authorities, or that their relatives back home would be hurt. One of the brothels, masquerading as a spa, was located on West 26th Street–about four blocks away from where I’d encountered the young woman.

Most Americans think of human trafficking as a foreign problem, yet it’s often happening in their own cities and neighborhoods. The United States, the land of the free, is one of the biggest consumers of trafficked human beings.

The State Department estimates that up to 17,500 people–mostly women and young girls –are trafficked to America annually. The number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country each year is even higher, according to the U.S. Justice Department. ‘Worldwide, human trafficking generates $9.5 billion, ahead of the arms trade and second among illegal trading only to drugs,” said Kathleen Davis, a human-trafficking expert from Cincinnati reported to the Columbus Dispatch. Davis estimated that up to 300,000 children might be the victims of trafficking in the U.S., some barely 12 years old.

And one of the biggest draws for traffickers is fast approaching: The Super Bowl.

Given the dismal defeat of the Patriots to the Jets, local enthusiasm for the championship is probably at record lows this year. Yet I’m sure most folks will tune into the game at some point and enjoy watching the competition, or at least enjoy the half-time performance. But it won’t be fun or enjoyable for everyone at the event. And I’m not referring to fans of the losing team (whoever that may be).

Traffickers and pimps view (inter)nationally celebrated events such as the Super Bowl, World Cup and Olympics as bonanzas for making money via the women and children who are raped for a profit, according to Intercessors for America, an anti-human trafficking group. Last year during the Super Bowl, the Save Our Adolescents From Prostitution project (SOAP) handed out thousands of bars of soap with the National Human Trafficking number stamped on them to area motels, and the organization educated motel owners and managers on the telltale signs of human trafficking (included in the ‘red flags’ list at the end of this article). Nine children contacted the hotline.

During the same game, a trafficker in Tampa advertised a “$300 Super Bowl Special” on Craigslist, offering the sexual services of a 14-year-old girl. He was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison after an undercover investigator responded to the ad.

“We don’t like to think that it happens here,” said Theresa Flores at a human-trafficking conference hosted by Vineyard Church of Columbus, Ohio. Flores is a native of Ohio who was pimped by her abusive older boyfriend when she was 15 (she is now in her forties). Flores came from a good, strong family and earned good grades in school. Her boyfriend forced her to cooperate by photographing himself sexually assaulting her and threatening to post the pictures up at school unless she did as she was told. “Slavery is alive and well in the U.S.,” Flores told The Columbus Dispatch.

As we all settle down on our couches to watch the Super Bowl, I urge us to remember that human trafficking is not just a problem that happens in Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe. It takes place during our nation’s favorite sporting events. It takes place on every weekend and every weekday. It can happen to anyone–to someone’s daughter, niece, granddaughter, sister, brother, son, friend.

Red Flags and Potential Indicators of Human Trafficking:

Common Work and Living Conditions
The Individual(s) in Question:

• Is not free to leave or come and go as he/she wishes
• Is under 18 and is providing commercial sex acts
• Is in the commercial sex industry and has a pimp / manager
• Is unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips
• Works excessively long and/or unusual hours
• Is not allowed breaks or suffers under unusual restrictions at work
• Owes a large debt and is unable to pay it off
• Was recruited through false promises concerning the nature and conditions of his/her work
• High security measures exist in the work and/or living locations (e.g. opaque windows, boarded up windows, bars on windows, barbed wire, security cameras, etc.)

Poor Mental/Physical Health or Abnormal Behavior

• Is fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense, or nervous / paranoid behavior
• Exhibits unusually fearful or anxious behavior after bringing up “law enforcement”
• Avoids eye contact
• Lacks health care

• Appears malnourished
• Shows signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement, or torture

Lack of Control

• Has few or no personal possessions
• Is not in control of his/her own money, no financial records, or bank account
• Is not in control of his/her own identification documents (ID or passport)
• Is not allowed or able to speak for themselves (a third party may insist on being present and/or translating)

Other

• Claims of “just visiting” and inability to clarify where he/she is staying / address
• Lack of knowledge of whereabouts and/or do not know what city he/she is in
• Loss of sense of time
• Has numerous inconsistencies in his/her story

If you see any of these red flags, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-3737-888 now to report the situation.