Every year during the Super Bowl, numerous articles pop up online about human trafficking; I’ve even written about it. Of course, some say it is a myth, and some say it does happen. But, here is a hint, the naysayers are wrong. Trafficking is absolutely happening at the Super Bowl. But, it is also happening across the Nation every day of the week, not just this weekend. Anywhere there is a significant event like the Super Bowl, there is a flood of visitors. This flood of visitors brings those willing to pay for sex. So, it is not just the Super Bowl; it can be any significant event that brings visitors.
Human trafficking is essentially industrialized rape. A trafficker is taking a human being and repeatedly selling them for profit. A trafficker does not look at their victims as human beings; they are a commodity to sell repeatedly. They will sell victims at the Super Bowl just as well as a hotel in your town. Yes, these are victims.
The Federal Trafficking Report provides the definition of a human trafficking victim. Victims of human trafficking are “The people who traffickers coerce and exploit are known as “victims” in the criminal justice system because they have been harmed during the commission of a crime. In other words, “victim” is a legal term of art, but it encompasses many individuals who are no longer being trafficked and now identify as survivors. Of course, a single term can never adequately reflect or encompass the humanity and resilience of each person whose life has been impacted by the often-devastating effects of human trafficking.”
Trafficking victims are out there and are being exploited even more through the internet. I talked to Kara Smith, Director of Commercial Analysis with the counter-trafficking nonprofit DeliverFund. Kara has been entrenched in the fight against human trafficking for over 4 ½ years but didn’t start her fight against bad actors then. Before working at DeliverFund, Kara spent ten years in the intelligence community tracking known and suspected terrorist before taking on this new mission. What Kara told me really hit me when she said, “It takes more clicks to order a pizza online than a girl. Both which will come directly to your door.”
Here is the stark truth, human trafficking is happening. It is happening at the Super Bowl. It is happening in every state and every city. It is likely happening in your town and towns just like yours. It is happening everywhere. It is happening every day and every hour. Yes, that should sting and should cause controversy. But, the more people understand that trafficking is a reality, the more we as a collective can help stop human trafficking. You can make a difference. Start local. What is your community doing to stop human trafficking? Are you educated on the realities of trafficking in the United States? Do you know the signs? Are you supporting law enforcement in their fight to take traffickers off the streets? Are you giving what you can to ensure trafficking victims become survivors? You can be the difference!
Dr. Jason Piccolo (@DRJasonPiccolo) has over 22-years in federal law enforcement. He is a former U.S. Army Infantry Captain (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and host of The Protectors Podcast.