We monitor and fact check media coverage of human trafficking and will share the top cases from each week with you. A broad view of what is happening across the country can be translated into action, allowing us to collectively change the system and the public narrative.
At Collective Liberty, we want to make sure we’re leaning on the facts to really help navigate the issue of child sex trafficking.
Alabama 18-year-old woman rescued during prostitution investigation in Homewood; 1 arrest made The teenager was located and taken to a hospital where she was put in contact with a local victim’s advocacy group for further assistance.
Texas Plano police investigated possible child sex trafficking attempt tipped off by a viral social media photo that appeared to be an attempt to promote a child for sex trafficking. It first appeared on Snapchat and then a spread across other social media, including Facebook and Instagram, and was ultimately not fruitful.
We believe that the best way to end human trafficking is to end the vulnerabilities traffickers prey on.
New York Seagram’s Heiress Sentenced In Nxivm Sex Trafficking Ring Case The group espoused a philosophy of self-improvement, but investigators said that over the years it became a vehicle for recruiting, grooming and even branding an inner circle of female sex slaves who also engaged in uncompensated labor.
New York A man who ran a human sex trafficking operation out of the basement of his parents’ home was sentenced He preyed on women with addictions, coercing the women into performing acts of prostitution by providing them with heroin and crack cocaine to impair their judgment, as well as subjecting one to threats of physical violence.
Texas Six arrested during prostitution buyer sting in Temple We are proud of the work being done by our partners in Bell County, and as always proud to work with and provide support to such a great group of trafficking investigators. Human trafficking doesn’t only occur in foreign countries, or tucked away in quiet places no one sees, it happens right under our noses, even on lunch breaks.
Illicit massage parlors often profit from the sale of trafficked women’s bodies. These women may be tightly controlled by debt bondage, fear, and shame.
Delaware The city of Newark has shuttered an unlicensed massage parlor Police started investigating the property after neighbors complained of possible prostitution, describing lots of people coming and going for short periods of time and people loitering. It should be noted that calling potential victims “prostitutes” can traumatize them, increasing vulnerabilities that traffickers deliberately prey upon.
California San Gabriel massage parlor owner facing federal charges related to sex trafficking 5 immigrant women A federal grand jury has charged a San Gabriel woman with sex trafficking five immigrant women by hiring them to work at massage parlors, forcing them to engage in commercial sex acts and threatening them, officials said Tuesday.
We cannot arrest potential victims and then expect their cooperation in criminal cases. These arrests also create an environment in which their options are limited, often leaving them stuck with their traffickers; these victims often cannot obtain housing, livable wages, and other basic needs with arrests and convictions on their records.
Texas Virginia man arrested after defective light uncovers Odessa to Eden human trafficking attempt The driver, who had a Virginia driver’s license, stopped the vehicle and the deputy noticed nine people inside. The driver appeared “nervous and was sweating profusely,” according to the affidavit. When asked who the passengers were, the driver said he did not know. He told the deputy he drove from Virginia to transport people from Odessa to Eden. The people were planning to work on tobacco farms, according to the affidavit. Instead of providing support or services to the victims, they were turned over to Immigration Enforcement.
Our CEO Rochelle Keyhan was interviewed on October 1 on NBC Nightly News and provided her expertise on the Qanon conspiracy theory. Click through to watch the episode.
Robert Kraft case illuminates ethical dilemmas around surveillance. Often times, law enforcement has their hands tied when it comes to collecting evidence and establishing enough probable cause to arrest known prostitution rings and human trafficking businesses. This inspires innovative investigations, but sometimes the methods backfire like it did in the Robert Kraft case. This is where Collective Liberty’s innovative technology could have helped piece together backend data and deliver intel reports to make video surveillance evidence less important.
