Task force targets human trafficking

It could be a young girl lured to the United States with the promise of an education who ends up forced to work as a prostitute or a maid.

Or, the promise of a decent wage could land an unskilled laborer trapped in a factory, working in a perpetual state of servitude.

The victims of human trafficking have many faces — many are woman and children. But the result is the same, says Brett Tolman, U.S. attorney for Utah.

"At its basic root is that particularly awful crime of seeking control and power over a human being for your own personal or financial gain," Tolman says.

It amounts to modern-day slavery, as federal law defines it. It's using force, fraud or coercion to obtain labor or services, while keeping someone in servitude through means such as debt bondage or slavery. When it comes to prostitution, anyone under 18 is considered a victim.

In Utah, a multi-agency task force is working to build a network to identify cases of human trafficking, prosecute them and assist victims. And two lawmakers are exploring state legislation to complement the federal law, though they've both said they aren't sure if there will be legislation ready for the session of the Utah Legislature starting in January.

The task force started meeting this year after the Salt Lake Police Department was awarded a $450,000 federal grant last October to focus on the issue. The Utah Health and Human Rights Project, a task force member agency, also has a federal grant and is coordinating with a variety to nonprofits to provide victim services, says Susan Ritter, the project's executive director.

"Trafficking victims are extremely complicated to serve," Ritter says. "We're on our way."

The task force also includes representatives from the Salt Lake City prosecutors office, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Cooperation among agencies is critical to a successful prosecution because it's often a local police officer or social worker who first encounters a victim, says Tolman.

"They're afraid to come forward, there may be a threat of action against themselves or their loved ones," Tolman says. "That's a tough type of crime."

For now, the task force is focusing primarily on training those first responders on recognizing the signs of human trafficking, says Kristi Dunn, grants manager for the Salt Lake Police Department.

Dunn says the immediate goal is to train the entire police force, and to bring in other law enforcement agencies, starting within the next six months. There is also a training planned early next year for the community at large.