Sixteen cases of human trafficking were reported in West
Virginia in 2017, according to the National Human Trafficking
Hotline, a hotline serving victims and survivors. This statistic
seems low, even for a state with a population of 1.8 million.
While West Virginia does have a significantly lower number
of cases reported than neighboring states with major met-
ropolitan areas like Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania,
there is no reason why the rate in West Virginia would be
lower per capita than other states, according to Mike Stuart,
U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. He
believes human trafficking is underreported in the Mountain
State, and there are many possible explanations.
“While anyone can be a victim of sex trafficking, populations
that are particularly vulnerable—kids in drug-affected or
abusive homes, kids with experience in the foster care or juvenile
justice systems and teens and adults who are addicted to
drugs—are often also populations that are less likely to self-
report to law enforcement about being a victim of human traf-
ficking,” he says. “Many victims also may not view themselves
as victims. They may view their trafficker as a boyfriend, or
the victim may have been trafficked by a family member and
the trafficking may have seemed like normal behavior to them.
Other victims may be unlikely to report trafficking due to
distrust of law enforcement or authority figures or as a result
of trauma bonding with their trafficker.”
“While anyone can be a victim of
sex trafficking, populations that are
particularly vulnerable . . . are often
also populations that are less likely to
self-report to law enforcement about
being a victim of human trafficking.”
Defining the Crime
To better understand how underreporting of this type of
crime can happen, it’s important to understand what this crime
is. Human trafficking occurs when one individual requires
another to provide labor, services or commercial sex.
“The compulsion aspect is the key to trafficking—victims
of trafficking are being forced by another to engage in labor,
services or commercial sex,” says Stuart. “Under federal law,
that compulsion is broadly defined as the use of force, fraud
or coercion to compel another to engage in certain activities.”
There are two types of human trafficking under federal law:
labor and sex trafficking.
Labor trafficking involves non-sexual work that is compelled
by force, fraud and/or coercion. Polaris, a leader in the global
fight to end modern slavery, recently published “Typology of
Modern Slavery,” a report that lists all settings and industries in
which victims have been identified. These included construction,
agriculture, manufacturing, restaurant and food service, massage,
health and beauty, forestry, domestic service and entertainment,
among others.
Telltale Signs of Trafficking
Anyone—any age, race or gender—can be a human trafficking
victim, and these crimes can take place anywhere, from large
cities to rural towns to the suburbs. Because human trafficking
victims can be hidden in plain sight, it’s important to be able
to recognize the signs.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Blue
Campaign, a campaign developed to fight human trafficking,
the following are classic presentations found in those victimized
by this crime:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bruises in various stages of healing caused by
physical abuse
Scars, mutilations or infections due to improper
medical care
Urinary difficulties, pelvic pain, pregnancy or
rectal trauma caused from working in the sex
industry
Chronic back, hearing, cardiovascular or
respiratory problems as a result of forced labor
in unsafe conditions
Poor eyesight and/or serious dental problems
Disorientation, confusion, phobias or panic
attacks caused by daily mental abuse, torture
and culture shock
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Sex trafficking, on the other hand, includes any commercial
sexual activity involving a minor under the age of 18 or commer-
cial sexual activity with anyone, minor or adult, if the commercial
sexual activity is the result of force, fraud or coercion.
“Force, fraud and coercion involve many things beyond
physical violence,” says Stuart. “Some examples could include
a trafficker withholding heroin or opioids to force the victim
to go through painful withdrawal if they don’t do as they are
told, threatening to post nude pictures of the victim online or
distribute to friends and classmates or luring a minor to run
away to meet the trafficker with false promises of a job or a
romantic relationship.”
Any commercial sexual activity involving a minor is con-
sidered sex trafficking under federal law, and, unfortunately,
minors can be particularly vulnerable to trafficking.
“Minors can be trafficked by strangers they have met online,
by acquaintances or by members of their own family,” Stuart
explains. “The younger the child, the more likely it is that they
are being trafficked by a family member.”
Understanding the Impacts
Because adults and older teenagers who are victims of sex
trafficking are subjected to force, fraud and coercion, they are
more likely to be subjected to violence, sexual assault and drug
use. Victims of trafficking, both minors and adults, are also
at an increased risk of depression, suicide attempts and death
resulting from either violence or overdose.
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