COMBAT TRAFFICKING
FLORIDA
Inform. Prevent. Protect.
What is Human Trafficking?
By definition, human trafficking is the illegal exploitation of any human being for the benefit of a buyer. This can include forced labor and/or sexual exploitation. In Florida, there were 781 human trafficking cases in just the year 2021 and out of those cases, 574 of them were sex trafficking cases; the rest being forced labor cases (Human Trafficking Profile, Florida).
Image 2: Florida Department of Health "Human Trafficking Profile, Florida." Accessed October 13, 2023
This chart displays the total number of National Human Trafficking Hotline Cases in Florida from 2018 to 2021 and is categorized in different variants.
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As per what you read in the above chart, In Florida, there were 781 human trafficking cases in just the year 2021 and out of those cases, 574 of them were sex trafficking cases; the rest being forced labor cases (Human Trafficking Profile, Florida). This is a significant amount of human trafficking cases in one year compared to other states. For example, in South Carolina, only “124 human trafficking cases were identified in the year 2021” according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The reality is that Florida is more susceptible to human trafficking cases than many other states, claiming its number three spot on the National Human Trafficking Hotline for the most human trafficking cases, comparatively next to Texas and California.
MYTH: Human trafficking involves just kidnapping, and has no underlying patterns.
FACT: Human trafficking can have plenty underlying causes and can look completely different in any case.
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Many of these "underlying causes" are often overlooked when attempting to find a solution to combat human trafficking. In his article titled “Ending Modern-Day Slavery in Florida: Strengthening Florida's Legislation in Combating Human Trafficking”, Adam Butkus argues that something else to be aware of is the underlying factors that create victims of human trafficking, which is not often spoken about. These underlying factors can include social and economic issues. “For example, as international transportation has become easier, international criminal organizations have more easily transported vulnerable people from poorer countries to wealthier countries.” (Butkus) Within a wealthy country like America, Florida is an easy target because of the international seaports and airports available. A large amount of the residents here in Florida are immigrants and tourists and look for work tirelessly. makes the immigrant population of Florida victims of forced labor trafficking. “The estimate for 2014 is that Florida attracted 94.7 million tourists and immigrants, nearly five times its resident population, and employed 1,135,700 people (about the population of Montana) in tourism jobs” (Bradley, 2014).
Image 3: Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida; a popular attraction for tourists in Florida.
Within a wealthy country like America, Florida is an easy target because of the international seaports and airports available. A large amount of the residents here in Florida are immigrants and tourists and look for work tirelessly. makes the immigrant population of Florida victims of forced labor trafficking. “The estimate for 2014 is that Florida attracted 94.7 million tourists and immigrants, nearly five times its resident population, and employed 1,135,700 people (about the population of Montana) in tourism jobs” (Bradley, 2014). According to an article titled “Florida’s task force approach to combat human trafficking: an analysis of county-level data” this fact makes the immigrant and tourist population of Florida victims of forced labor trafficking. “Many of these positions are low wage, service sector jobs that are mostly filled by undocumented workers.” (Huff-Corzine et. Al#)
Florida Legislators Response
Human trafficking is an ongoing issue in Florida that is hard to not notice, even for Florida legislators. Although there has been an anti-human trafficking bill passed by Florida legislators, one is nowhere near enough to continue fighting human trafficking.
Image 4: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaking at a conference
On May 16th, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed four bills to combat human trafficking, raise awareness of the signs and impacts of human trafficking, and impose critical reforms to hold human traffickers accountable.
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Something that still needs to be addressed is how we will be even more aware of human trafficking in Florida.
How are we educating the youth about this?
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How will we educate immigrants – the most common victim of human trafficking in Florida?