Executive Summary
Human trafficking is defined as the action of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation. Those who force individuals into slavery are hard to track down, and enslave so many individuals from so many different areas that makes it even harder. The Coordination Assistance to Catch Human Traffickers makes a plea that the Department of Homeland Security create a database with the information of all human trafficking investigations that all federal, state, and local law enforcement can view.
Introduction
For some context, 20.9 million people are victims of human trafficking today, with almost one million reported cases alone in the United States. The main cases reported are of sexual exploitation, with the superiors as being “pimps.” The main target of traffickers is those of discrimination whom have a lack of education and economic standing. Their goal is to find people who seem weak and will feel trapped and stay with them. So, of course they stereotypically target women and children. Victims of human trafficking are taken from their homes and forced into this wretched life of labor and/or sex– bullied, threatened, and abused by their superior. They are told that they and/or their family will be hurt or killed if they try to escape and get help or anything in that manner. To make sure nothing happens, they are also forced to call their friends and family and assure them they are doing great so no one worries, sends out searches, or questions them. Most crimes of human trafficking go unreported even after the victim is rescued because the victim is fearful of the superior and getting hurt for reporting. So, these traffickers are underground and make it very difficult to locate them or their victims. It takes an intensive, lengthy investigation process to locate them. A database of information that law enforcement around the nation could see would be beneficial to help locate more traffickers, possibly even quicker.
Approaches and Results
The approach the CATCH Traffickers of 2017 bill is stating starts with the Secretary of Homeland Security creating a database that will encompass information of any human trafficking investigation taking place. The head of the federal, state, or local law enforcement will keep the database updated. Upon access to said database, the only individuals to see it are those involved in a human trafficking case at that time. This would be beneficial to help catch traffickers more efficiently as those involved with a current case can see past records. As they learn what to look for from past cases that have been opened, they can find patterns and traffickers more efficiently. A scenario where this could be seen could be catching one trafficker who is enslaving multiple people. They could compare patterns of one potential victim in one area to another in a different area, notice a similarity in patterns, and catch the trafficker enslaving both girls.
These records would include signs of what the victim looked like upon arrest and what patterns of the trafficker the victim may have shared. Limiting who sees the database information keeps it concealed and still as private as it can be. The records can also have descriptions of what girls looked like. This can be pegged as a “type” as traffickers will try and find a certain look for their business, depending on what they need. This could include examples such as a woman who fits the “thin ideal” for sexual exploitation, someone who looks strong for forced physical labor. While those facts are important, most victims do not like to share or allow others to know they worked in that field, because it is negative and commonly, as if they were weak and purposefully did not leave the situation. So, the fact that it is mostly private will help the victims feel more comfortable and open to living a better life.
As the bill was introduced as of January 3rd, of 2017, it has not yet been voted on by either the House of Representatives or the Senate.
Conclusion
By establishing a database for law enforcement investigating a human trafficking case, it helps the investigators have a better idea of what to look for. Human trafficking is a diverse issue as it can be an international situation brought into our own nation under our noses. Traffickers will do anything to keep their money coming in, and some of them can be very disrespectful and aggressive. The sooner we can start identifying and prosecute them, the safer all of us become.
Implications and Recommendations
If you feel this is something to fight for, you can call your local legislator and vote “yes” for the CATCH Traffickers Act of 2017. You can also vote yes for it on countable.us. The most important recommendation I can share though, is to be educated about this topic. This is something happening within our country, when most believe it is an issue internationally only. A documentary, Tricked, on Netflix is an incredible source of information. It sheds light on the issue and makes the viewer vision and feel as if they were being trafficked. Educate yourself and vote accordingly.