SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – While human trafficking is largely considered to be one of the most despicable crimes there is, prosecuting those involved is not always as simple as one may imagine.
According to Earl Campbell, Assistant United States Attorney, one challenge in prosecuting human trafficking is developing evidence and testimonies from victims.
Campbell says that it is sometimes hard to hard to get victims to want to go through the steps of testifying.
This can be due to them being wrapped up in the lifestyle, either providing for themselves or others or simply not wanting to be involved with law enforcement and the legal process.
Probably the most difficult aspect is the relationship and developing the evidence and testimony from the victim[…] Let’s say you’re investigating human trafficking and you have a young victim. Nine times out of ten, the first person that victim is going to want to talk to will not be what I call a ‘gun and badge.’
Earl Campbell, Assistant U.S. Attorney
Campbell says this is where victim advocacy groups can greatly help with communicating with victims.
“They’re going to talk to somebody that can relate to them. Somebody that could talk their language, somebody that could kind of, you know, talk to them on their level,” Campbell says.
He also adds that the prosecutorial process can look somewhat intimidating for a victim that has already been through so much trauma.
“You talk about a victim that is being asked to get in a room full of strangers. Let’s say 14 jurors, a judge, the court staff, security, case agents[…]last but certainly not least, the defendant. And to be able to sit on a witness stand and tell strangers about some of the most intimate type of activity as human beings. We engage in their sexual relations. You know? Think about it,” Campbell explains.
Campbell also explains how victims can refrain from wanting to testify due to their thinking that there will be no other way to provide for themselves.
“And you can imagine how difficult that would be for someone who, you know, who is trying to support their family or even trying to support themselves. They perceive that they don’t have any other means to earn a wage or earn a living and by coming forward, it’s going to threaten that,” Campbell says.
Laurie McGehee, Executive Director of The Free Coalition to End Human Trafficking, says that many times traffickers will tell their victims to not go to the police because they will get in trouble themselves for their involvement.
While the legal and prosecutorial process can be intimidating for victims, Louisiana is a ‘safe-harbor state’ which means there are protections in place to protect trafficking victims from being prosecuted for crimes such as prostitution.
Louisiana is a safe harbor state, which means that anyone that is a victim of human trafficking is not prosecuted for being arrested for the crime of prostitution. They will not be prosecuted. There are a lot of barriers for people reporting and being willing to come forward because they have been threatened, they have been hurt, they have been beaten.
Laurie McGehee, Executive Director of The Free Coalition to End Human Trafficking
McGehee says there are no legal repercussions for a person that wants to self-report being trafficked.
“Adults can be trafficked as well if force, fraud, or coercion can be proven. With anyone 18 years or older, they’re considered to be a victim of human trafficking and they are not prosecuted for anything that they self-report.”
She added that anytime a minor is involved it is automatically considered trafficking due to them not being able to legally consent.
McGehee explains how difficult it can be for victims to self-report, commonly due to them being threatened by their trafficker.
“They don’t trust law enforcement. They don’t trust service providers because they are deeply afraid of being hurt by their trafficker. So it is very difficult to get someone to self-report.”
McGehee says this is why trafficking hotlines and other local resources are so important for victims because they can often help break that cycle and give them the confidence they need to start a new life.
‘”There are hotlines and there are so many agencies that are willing to offer help right here in Shreveport, such as Purchased Not For Sale, The Gingerbread House, Volunteers for Youth Justice, the YWCA of Northwest Louisiana, and of course, the juvenile court for Caddo Parish. Caddo Parish Juvenile Services Purchase actually has a hotline specifically for this area. And of course, there is the National Human Trafficking hotline as well.”
Prosecuting traffickers can be a complicated process but it is a vital step in eliminating human trafficking from our society. Understanding how traffickers are prosecuted and the obstacles victims face while pursuing justice, brings us one step closer to protecting our communities from this despicable crime.
We need local law enforcement to help bring successful prosecutions. We need our community to help bring successful prosecutions. And what we find out is that this is truly a group effort. One entity, one agency cannot do it by itself. It’s a group collaborative effort where there is investigating the case, gathering evidence, making sure that the victims have their needs and services.
Earl Campbell, Assistant U.S. Attorney
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