Educating the Public on Human Trafficking

LWV Human Trafficking Forum:  Wednesday, April 15; 7 p.m. at the White Plains Public Library, The League of Women Voters of White Plains, along with the White Plains Rotary, the Slater Center, El Centro Hispano will present a Forum on Human Trafficking. Amy Paulin, who recently helped to pass significant legislation on this issue will speak, along with Gonzalo Martinez de Vedia of the Human Trafficking Program, Workers Justice Center, Carl J. Boykin, Director of Human Trafficking Prevention for New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services; and Lauren Hersh, Director, Anti-Trafficking Policy and Advocacy, Sanctuary for Families. Now that the legislation has been passed in the Assembly and Senate and will soon be signed into law by the Governor , there’s a lot of work to be done.  This will be the focus of the forum.

Recap of the Greenburgh Forum: The Town of Greenburgh recently raided several illegal massage parlors in an effort to root out prostitution and sex trafficking and put the offending businesses off the market for good.

What authorities discovered, however, was that the business of human trafficking in the United States, including the northeast and Westchester County, is well organized and well run, and the offenders are part of a network that runs up and down the east coast.

Some law officials are certain the base of operations is a large syndicate working out of Flushing, Queens.

That was the message of last week’s forum “Illegal Massage Parlors and What really Goes On Behind Closed Doors.”

The event was organized by Greenburgh Town Clerk Judith Belville and supported recent legislation proposed by Bob Bernstein, head of the Edgemont Community Council that would help address prostitution and illegal activities at these facilities.

Martin Payson, forum facilitator, set the tone by addressing the need for legislation at the federal, state and local levels that acknowledges the victims of trafficking, be they sex workers, domestic workers, farm workers, and even workers in certain ethnic restaurants.

Payson stressed that in the passing of local laws, town officials needed to be aware of what was being done in Albany to be certain that legislation at each level complemented the others. He also offered advice that acknowledgement of the victimization of many of these people was key to solving the problem.

Ken Picard, an award winning journalist who had gone undercover in Vermont to investigate that state’s trafficking problem discovered that some of the small family-owned milk farms had Mexican workers who worked 80 to 90 hours a week and never left the farm because they were afraid they would be picked up by local authorities and deported from the country.

“For the most part, they did not know where they were,” he said.

The same was true for women in the sex trafficking trade, who were often kept in small confined areas, never going outside, who worked all day, seven days a week and were only paid by the tips they received.

Picard noted several red flags that indicate a business might be involved in trafficking, such as a preference for all cash payment, women turned away at the door, and connections to online sites.

Picard’s experience during the investigation showed that when he let the workers know who he was, they were often confused and then became fearful.

When local authorities came to close the doors, the businesses and the women often disappeared.

Christopher McNerney, Greenburgh Chief of Police, echoed what Picard said. He explained that in 2012 Greenburgh began an 11-month investigation with the New York Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security, the County District Attorney’s Office, and Greenburgh Police.

“We detained 32 women who were interviewed individually by Homeland Security agents, but we did not discover any trafficking element,” McNerney said. “We were able to arrest the offenders on unauthorized practice of a profession, which has a four-year jail term, but that does not put them out of business permanently. They are able to come back with other workers with valid massage licenses and open up shop again.”

For every licensed worker willing to come forward, there are usually several other associates working without licenses.

“They are getting better and better at their craft,” McNerney said. “In 2014, I recommended to the Town Board that they enact local legislation to address the prostitution offenses. As the law now stands, we have no authority to close them down permanently.”

By using health codes, criminal background checks and not allowing a business with a previous conviction to reopen, an effective and efficient method could be developed.

McNerney said he had looked at legislation in Rockland and Nassau counties for guidance. He hoped new legislation would be passed soon.

Nancy F. Levine, Chief Development Officer, My Sister’s Place, White Plains, said she had helped found the Anti-Trafficking Task Force in 2010. She was surprised by how many service requests the agency has had from trafficking victims, both men and women and those caught in any kind of exploitation.

My Sister’s Place works primarily with victims who are working their way out of servitude. “Many of these situations can be in private homes and small businesses, Levine explained. “You never really know where you might find it.”

The full forum can be viewed on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/mmWXUXyF3fI.