The Metropolitan King County Council today declared January Human Trafficking Awareness Month in recognition of the ongoing effort to call attention to this form of modern day bondage.
“In order to stop the scourge of human trafficking in our County, we need a coordinated and unified response,” said Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, a co-sponsor of the proclamation. “I am glad to see so many organizations come together today to raise awareness, share resources and work together to end this despicable practice.”
“This proclamation was not only an opportunity to spread awareness about the evils of human trafficking but also provided a rare chance to reflect on the hard work King County and it’s community partners have done in the past several years,” said proclamation co-sponsor Councilmember Reagan Dunn. “I hope that others may look to King County and our region as a model for taking action against this form of modern day slavery.”
“Ending human trafficking requires vigilance from all of us,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert. “It involves respecting others and taking notice of anything unusual in conversations or actions of people we interact with. An example would be if someone says that another person controls their salary or their activities. If we are all responsible and watchful, we can assist in helping to end this barbaric practice.”
Protecting the survivors of human trafficking has been a focus for King County since the murder of Susan Blackwell, her unborn child, and friends Phoebe Dizon and Veronica Laureta, all mail-order brides from the Philippines. They were killed by Ms. Blackwell’s estranged and abusive husband in 1995 inside the King County Courthouse. Along with the forced servitude case of Helen Clemente in 1999 and the murder of mail-order bride, Anastasia Solovieva-King in 2000, King County has been active in collaborating with the state Legislature in finding ways to reduce trafficking and aid the survivors of trafficking.
Washington state is known as a national leader in the fight against slavery and human trafficking, being the first State in the country to criminalize human trafficking in 2003. As a member of the state Legislature, Councilmember Kohl-Welles worked with former State Rep. Velma Veloria in creating the first state anti-trafficking task force in the Country in conjunction with 2002 legislation which provided protections for foreign brides who go through international marriage brokers
“The murders of the three Filipina women inside the King County Courthouse started the anti-trafficking movement in our state,” said Veloria. “This proclamation is a reminder to us all that human trafficking is not just a local problem, it is an international issue.”
In 2013, King County expanded its awareness effort through collaboration with both Clear Channel Outdoors, a division of Clear Channel Communications, and Titan Media to highlight the fight against human trafficking.
Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in King County also work closely alongside the Washington Anti-Trafficking Network (WARN) who since 2004 have brought together a coalition of non-governmental organizations that provide direct services to survivors of slavery and human trafficking in Washington state and assist them on their path to restoration and recovery. That effort has grown through the establishment of the King County’s Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (“CSEC”) Task Force to help ensure the safety of young people who are survivors of sexual exploitation.
“Awareness and community investment is vital to a child’s ability to escape their exploiters and reach their full potential as the successful adults they deserve to be,” said Justice Bobbe Bridge, Founding President and CEO of the Center for Children & Youth Justice. “This proclamation places King County firmly in the leadership moving towards these goals.”
“Human trafficking is not limited to commercial sex work. It occurs in every industry including agriculture, construction, salons, and small businesses,” said Kathleen Morris, Program Manager at Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Network (WARN). “Creating awareness about how to identify and report cases of human trafficking provides the public with the knowledge they might need to help those who experience human trafficking.”
A 2013 report from the U.S. State Department identifies nearly 47,000 men, women and children trafficked and forced into different forms of slavery, such as forced labor, sexual exploitation, debt bondage, and forced marriages, each year worldwide. Shining a bright light on these crimes and educating the public is one way we can work to eradicate these types of crimes.
