January: Human Trafficking Awareness Month

Photo courtesy of CSA San Diego County

The green lawns, gushing fountains and warm classrooms of LBCC are just five miles from I-5. Known as the “West Coast Track” for human trafficking, I-5 leads from Canada to Mexico—right through Albany.

On Dec. 31, 2013 Barack Obama made a Presidential Proclamation declaring January National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. “This month, I call on every nation, every community, and every individual to fight human trafficking wherever it exists,” Obama wrote.

Two words hold a big meaning. Human Trafficking: most commonly for the purpose of sexual slavery but also forced labor, commercial exploitation, extraction of organs or tissues and forced surrogacy. The issue is global as well as domestic. An estimated 300,000 American children are trapped as sexual slaves and being moved in and across US borders.

Cities considered “hot spots” on the West Coast for trafficking are Seattle, San Francisco and Portland. I-5 carries unwilling passengers to and through Albany, making them part of what is known as modern-day slavery.

With a population of just over 50,000 residents, Albany is not too small to be impacted.

"Has it occurred in Albany? Yes it has," said Det. Sgt. Steven Dorn of Albany Police Department. "There was a recent federal (indictment) of a man that resided in Albany."

That man is Steven Anthony Kidd, age 20. He was taken into custody on Dec. 21, 2013 for allegedly forcing a female minor across state lines to engage in prostitution. He is charged with sex trafficking of a minor and interstate transportation of a minor.

Kidd is only one offender that has been discovered locally. According to National Human Trafficking Resource Center official reports, Oregon had 46 calls made in 2012 reporting trafficking to their tip hotline.

The majority of those calls were for sex trafficking, the bulk of them in the Portland area. According to a study by Portland State University the actual number of Portland youth being trafficked is in the hundreds.

Just 70 miles from LBCC, Portland has all the ingredients of a preferred “hot spot” in trade of humans. With a high population of runaway and homeless youth, a city cluttered with strip clubs and located off I-5, Portland is a hotbed for the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world.

“As a parent, it is every parent’s nightmare,” Dorn said, about the danger of abduction lurking in the community. “We are setting up shelters [so] we can take victims.”

One of those shelters is The House of Engedi serving Linn and Benton counties. When asked if local awareness seemed to increase after President Obama made the proclamation, Josh Armentano, the Executive Director at The House of Engedi, had a positive response.

“This month in particular we have had many individuals reach out to us about volunteering and getting involved in the work we are doing.”

Tayrn Offenbacher, the Communications Director at Shared Hope International, said, “The interest in engagement has increased from media attention and website visitors,” referring to after the declaration was made by President Obama.

Shared Hope International, whose mission is to prevent abductions, restore survivors into shelters, and bring justice to traffickers has headquarters in Vancouver, WA but fields calls from all over the country. 

They rank all states on a report card system, according to Offenbacher. They use 41 key legislative components to grade individual state laws, specifically involving child welfare and trafficking. Oregon is ranked eighth in the nation according to their findings.

The higher the rank, the better. “Oregon leads with an 85 percent, which is great, because over half the nation has scored C’s, D’s and F’s,” Offenbacher said. "As a state, we need to look out for the welfare of our children.”

Where Oregon lacks, according to Offenbacher, is in the laws citing that a minor can be charged with prostitution. In many states, laws say that a minor cannot be charged in sex trafficking. Instead, the organization or person of coercion is charged.

According to Portland State University findings, the youngest identified victim of human trafficking in Portland was eight years old. Oregon law says that no matter the age, a minor can be considered coherent enough to make the decision. Shared Hope International begs to differ, according to Offenbacher. Adjusting this law would increase Oregon's report card.

Communities can be powerful when they come together to fight crime. Naming January an awareness month for human trafficking is the first step. "Right now our hope is for community members to be exposed to the seriousness of this problem, and be educated on how they can responsibly get involved," said Armentano.

-At a Glance-

What: Human Trafficking Awareness Month
Declared by: President Barack Obama
Local Awareness: Albany Police Department, (541) 917-7680
Local Shelter: www.houseofengedi.org
National Tip Line: (888) 373-7888

Photo courtesy of LB International Consulting, LLC