Common
05-31-2016, 06:11 PM
Hard to believe it happens here, crucify every one of them caught for this
Caddo Parish had 22 confirmed cases of human trafficking in 2015, according to Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services data.
Only East Baton Rouge parish with 62 human trafficking victims and Orleans parish with 47 had more, according to DCFS figures. The number of those victims who were children in each parish were 8, 8 and 29, respectively.
But it's not all about the numbers. There is a real human cost.
"Julie" was 9 when her mother started selling her to men to pay for drug money, said Caddo Parish's juvenile probation director Laurie McGehee.
We're not using Julie's real name in order to protect her identity.
Julie's parents had also taught her older sister to recruit other children.
When the Department of Children & Family Services became involved in the case, staff relocated Julie to a different parish for her safety. She's currently living in a group home.
VICTIMS SPEAK : I was 4 when my dad started trafficking me (http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/watchdog/2016/05/23/victims-sex-trafficking-share-their-stories/83538332/)
Trafficking touches almost every parish in the state.
Louisiana had 244 cases of human trafficking in 2015, DCFS data shows. One hundred and four of those cases involved children.
“If you look at the data, there’s more slaves in the world today than at any time in history,” said George Mills, Trafficking Hope (http://www.traffickinghopela.org/) in Baton Rouge's executive director.
“But we don’t want to call it that.”
ex Trafficking is happening in Louisiana, and on a much larger scale than most people realize. (Lex Talamo)Over the past four years, Louisiana has received close to $3 million in federal funds to aid efforts to combat human trafficking.
The state has made significant progress since ratcheting up anti-trafficking efforts in 2012 and currently has some of the best anti-trafficking legislation in the nation, according to a Shared Hope International report.
But despite collaborative efforts across the state, Louisiana still faces significant challenges in its journey toward change — including finding more funding for service providers and law enforcement, more safe homes and trauma-informed care for victims and more awareness and action from the public.
What trafficking looks like hereThe term "human trafficking" encompasses both sex trafficking and forced labor. All future references to trafficking in this series will relate specifically to sex trafficking.
Sex trafficking is defined as adults working in the sex industry through force, fraud or coercion or children younger than 18 involved in the sex industry.
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/700ef3eb17c27df91e89ca3db594fc4190788e86/c=337-0-5678-4016&r=x1767&c=2352x1764/local/-/media/2016/05/19/LAGroup/Shreveport/635992598548734120-sex1.jpgBourbon Street has several strip clubs.
(Photo: Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times)
In 2013, a Bossier Parish couple made headlines when undercover detectives discovered they were forcing two teenage girls to sell sex for $60 out of their home in Elm Grove.
They were arrested on a charge of "inciting prostitution" and later convicted on counts of cruelty to a juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/watchdog/2016/05/22/modern-day-slavery-sex-trafficking-poses-serious-problem-louisiana/84587922/
Caddo Parish had 22 confirmed cases of human trafficking in 2015, according to Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services data.
Only East Baton Rouge parish with 62 human trafficking victims and Orleans parish with 47 had more, according to DCFS figures. The number of those victims who were children in each parish were 8, 8 and 29, respectively.
But it's not all about the numbers. There is a real human cost.
"Julie" was 9 when her mother started selling her to men to pay for drug money, said Caddo Parish's juvenile probation director Laurie McGehee.
We're not using Julie's real name in order to protect her identity.
Julie's parents had also taught her older sister to recruit other children.
When the Department of Children & Family Services became involved in the case, staff relocated Julie to a different parish for her safety. She's currently living in a group home.
VICTIMS SPEAK : I was 4 when my dad started trafficking me (http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/watchdog/2016/05/23/victims-sex-trafficking-share-their-stories/83538332/)
Trafficking touches almost every parish in the state.
Louisiana had 244 cases of human trafficking in 2015, DCFS data shows. One hundred and four of those cases involved children.
“If you look at the data, there’s more slaves in the world today than at any time in history,” said George Mills, Trafficking Hope (http://www.traffickinghopela.org/) in Baton Rouge's executive director.
“But we don’t want to call it that.”
ex Trafficking is happening in Louisiana, and on a much larger scale than most people realize. (Lex Talamo)Over the past four years, Louisiana has received close to $3 million in federal funds to aid efforts to combat human trafficking.
The state has made significant progress since ratcheting up anti-trafficking efforts in 2012 and currently has some of the best anti-trafficking legislation in the nation, according to a Shared Hope International report.
But despite collaborative efforts across the state, Louisiana still faces significant challenges in its journey toward change — including finding more funding for service providers and law enforcement, more safe homes and trauma-informed care for victims and more awareness and action from the public.
What trafficking looks like hereThe term "human trafficking" encompasses both sex trafficking and forced labor. All future references to trafficking in this series will relate specifically to sex trafficking.
Sex trafficking is defined as adults working in the sex industry through force, fraud or coercion or children younger than 18 involved in the sex industry.
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/700ef3eb17c27df91e89ca3db594fc4190788e86/c=337-0-5678-4016&r=x1767&c=2352x1764/local/-/media/2016/05/19/LAGroup/Shreveport/635992598548734120-sex1.jpgBourbon Street has several strip clubs.
(Photo: Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times)
In 2013, a Bossier Parish couple made headlines when undercover detectives discovered they were forcing two teenage girls to sell sex for $60 out of their home in Elm Grove.
They were arrested on a charge of "inciting prostitution" and later convicted on counts of cruelty to a juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/watchdog/2016/05/22/modern-day-slavery-sex-trafficking-poses-serious-problem-louisiana/84587922/