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By Mike Baglin

More than 140 years have passed since the Thirteenth Amendment was adopted, ending slavery in America. Sadly, slavery does exist today and is identified as “human trafficking.” This tragic violation of human rights still occurs all over the world, as well as in our country and our city. This slavery is very hard to identify for a variety of reasons. First, the traffickers are sophisticated. They use force, fraud and coercion to lure and control their victims. Second, victims often will not see themselves as victims, but rather individuals who have gotten themselves into a bad situation. And last, human trafficking is a crime that is hidden and hard to identify. This is a crime that the federal government recognizes as the most lucrative criminal enterprise after narcotics and weapons trafficking. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and it is a violation of human rights.

In the year 2000, the federal government passed the “Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.” Simply defined, human trafficking is “the recruitment, harboring or transporting of a person or persons through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of a commercial sex act, domestic or labor servitude” and further states that any person involved in juvenile prostitution is a victim of human trafficking. Various other amendments have been passed since 2000 updating the TVPA.

In 2005, the San Francisco Police Department became the lead agency of the North Bay Human Trafficking Task Force. The Vice Crimes Division was designated by the police chief to provide training and investigate all cases of suspected human trafficking. Vice Crimes trains and provides information to law enforcement agencies, city and county departments, health departments, social service agencies, private organizations and the public on the topic of human trafficking.

To understand trafficking, one must recognize the difference between human smuggling and human trafficking. Human smuggling is an agreement and business transaction between two parties that in the end brings one party or parties into the United States illegally. Human smuggling is a violation of U.S. borders. The key difference between human smuggling and human trafficking is the person or person’s freedom of movement. Simply, after the person has paid the agreed upon fee, is that person free to leave? Does that person have to pay off a debt that can never be paid off? If the answer to the first question is no and the answer to the second question is yes, human trafficking exists.

Human trafficking is exploitation of men, women and children. As first responders and members of the community, we have an obligation to be a voice for the voiceless. Numerous individuals hoping for a better life are brought into this country under false pretenses. Regardless of the victims’ immigration status, the government recognizes the victim as a victim. Once a victim has been rescued and identified as a victim of human trafficking, various services are provided, including health, medical, social, counseling and legal residency.

Victims of human trafficking can also be U.S. citizens who are held captive in their own country. Domestic human trafficking victims can be alcoholics, drug addicts, mentally challenged or juveniles involved in the sex industry. Again, what makes it human trafficking is the victim’s restricted freedom of movement. Is the victim being forced or defrauded to provide labor or services against his or her will? In the case of juvenile prostitution, no force, fraud or coercion is needed. Here, juveniles are considered exploited regardless of their consent.

When a juvenile is rescued, they are assessed as victims of trafficking. Oftentimes the public looks at juvenile prostitutes as causing their own problems, but these youths are exploited by the commercial sexual industry. These juveniles, pampered at first with expensive gifts of clothing and jewelry, are introduced to a fast-paced lifestyle. They are then transitioned to the “seasonal process,” where the nightmare of exploitation begins. These juveniles will be raped, sexually and physically assaulted either by their pimp, “john” or fellow prostitute. They are given alcohol and narcotics, as a means to control and continue their behavior. They are demoralized and humiliated.

Once a juvenile is rescued from the streets, a member of the Vice Crimes Division contacts, interviews and accesses them. Rather than looking at the juvenile as the suspect, Vice Crimes looks at the juvenile as the victim, an exploited youth. Assessment questions are asked of each juvenile in the hopes of helping her understand her victimization and prosecuting the predators. Both state and federal laws are used to prosecute the predators, and there are services for the children to help them regain their innocence.

International victims of human trafficking are brought into the country from Asia, Central America, Europe and even Mexico, to name a few. Each victim, young or old, has usually paid a fee for transportation and employment in the U.S. The unsuspecting victim will enter the country illegally, either through a smuggling scheme or with false documents. After arriving in the U.S., these men, women and children are often forced into different types of employment than the ones promised. It is at this point that the victim’s nightmare begins. Promised jobs better than those available in the victim’s home country, the victim may, instead, be physically, psychologically and sexually assaulted. Victims may have their identification taken, be threatened with deportation and/or the ultimate threat of physical harm to themselves or their families. The victims are then forced to work long hours in various domestic and labor-intensive jobs. Females, including juveniles, are often raped, beaten and forced to work in the sex industry. Sadly, many of these victims believe there is nothing they can do about this bad situation, and all they possess is the will to survive.

To make matters worse, these victims who believed in the “traffickers” are now forced to pay for everything they might need in addition to their travel expenses. Some examples of this include food, personal necessities, sleeping arrangements and transportation. As you can see, the victim is now forced to depend on the trafficker. The trafficker has manipulated the victim so much that the victim is afraid to report what is going on to authorities or other service agencies. Their only hope of survival is to obey the trafficker and dream that someone will rescue them from this horror.

Signs of Trafficking
Trafficking can happen anywhere, especially where there is demand for cheap labor. Some examples include restaurants, factories, massage parlors, strip clubs, nail salons or houses of prostitution. Trafficking can happen in any neighborhood. Some indicators of possible human trafficking include numerous people coming and going from a house at all hours of the day, too many people living or working on a premise, sophisticated security features, or non-English speaking individuals. Other indicators could be men and women being dropped off in the morning and picked up late at night or residential and commercial establishments being used as a front for prostitution.

But human trafficking can be very sophisticated and hard to identify, especially because interviewing the victim can be very difficult. When an assessment or investigation is taking place, it is recommended to be very calm and emphasize to the individual that we, the rescuers, are here to help. Some examples of questions that might be asked include: “Are you being paid?” “Can you leave this job if you want to?” “Is this the job you were promised?” “What will happen to you if you leave?”

Oftentimes, a victim might not be forthcoming. Various tools are used by rescuing organizations for the comfort of a potential victim. Trust is essential. When an interview is taking place, even if it does not lead to an immediate rescue, the role of the nongovernmental organization or faith-based organization is essential. All potential victims are referred to social service agencies that can provide assistance to them.

As property owners, there are several things one can do to see if any possible human trafficking or criminal activity is occurring. The first and most important is to know your building and your tenants. Having a good working relationship with your tenants is essential. Oftentimes, other tenants will be the informants regarding any suspicious activity that might be occurring.

Another sign of possible criminal activity is tenants who pay in cash and/or above-market pricing. One might ask: why are they paying in cash and why so much? Other questions to ask yourself: What days of the week and times are the tenants’ doorbells rung? If your building has an intercom system, is the person always a man’s voice asking for a particular woman? Does your tenant have an electronic surveillance system outside of the front door, and if so, why? What does the garage look like? Is the garage in the same condition as it was when the property was first rented? Is the alley walkway in your apartment complex frequently used since your “new tenants” arrived? Have the police been called to the property recently?

When you, as the landlord or property manager, are inside a residence for an inspection, emergency service, repair or other reason, ask yourself if things seem out of the ordinary. Is the residence furnished for “normal” residential living? Do things appear unusual for ordinary living? Here are some things to consider: bed sheets over the windows for privacy, limited front room and dining room furniture, multiple bunk beds, numerous people living in the residence or numerous non-English-speaking residents. Other things to consider would be the presence of numerous condoms, bath towels, mattresses on the bedroom floors, suitcases in the closet with nothing else present, travel documents on counter tops or found in conspicuous places, multiple textile or sewing machines, bars on the inside of windows, door handles locked from the outside instead of the inside of the room, or maybe your own feeling that something is not right. Each of the above examples may be associated with human trafficking or other criminal activities, or may not be indicative of any criminal activity. Each case is unique.

In order to fight human trafficking, rescue the victims and arrest/prosecute the offenders, no one organization can successfully work alone. We must work together—this is essential. All parties bring different components for a successful investigation, rescue and prosecution. That is why belonging to a task force is so important. Networking and sharing information is vital in rescuing these voiceless victims.

In addition, help and information from the public is vital. Often simple tips to a law enforcement agency or other groups can have significant effects in combating human trafficking crimes and other various criminal violations. Together we can make a difference.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or wish further information on this topic, please feel free to call the San Francisco Police Department Vice Crimes Division at 415-970-3001. In addition to the main number, you can call Vice Crimes’ 24-hour tip line, 415-643-6233, which is anonymous and recorded. Any tip is useful, and it is up to you if you wish to be called back. Of course, if an emergency is happening at your property, call 9-1-1.

As a landlord or property manager in San Francisco, I would invite you to go to the department’s website, www.sfpolice.gov, and check out the crime-mapping feature, which details incidents involving your properties’ particular locations. You should also familiarize yourself with your local district police station, attend the monthly captain community meetings and ask to be on his/her email address log. If you live outside of San Francisco, it would be helpful to familiarize yourself with your local law enforcement agency.

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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of SFAA or SF Apartment Magazine. Mike Baglin is an officer in the Vice Crimes Division of the San Francisco Police Department. He is a native San Franciscan and a 13-year veteran of the SFPD. Copyright © 2008 by SF Apartment Magazine. All rights reserved.