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MORGANTOWN — Human trafficking in West Virginia is a dirty little secret that people don’t – and won’t – talk about.
But it’s a very real problem in the state and has the potential to get worse if a bill passed by the state House of Delegates, now on its way to the Senate — which would allow people with out-of-state occupational licenses and other authorizations to work in West Virginia — moves forward. This would include massage parlors, which have been regulated by the state since 1998.
The fear is if the bill is passed, then it could unintentionally increase human trafficking in the state. The bill also led Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, to propose an amendment to make massage therapists exempt by excluding those not licensed by the state Massage Therapy Board, an entity that has been in existence since 1998.
Fleischauer’s amendment was defeated by a vote of 73-25.
So what does that mean for the state? It’s tough to say.
Amie Ashcraft, director of research for West Virginia University’s department of medicine, said most people aren’t aware human trafficking is an issue in West Virginia.
“This is news to most people, because they imagine that it only happens in cities or in other countries,” she said. “It’s been going on for a long time. It’s hard to know how much it happens or how long it’s been happening because of the hidden, illicit nature of it. Poverty and lack of opportunities fuel trafficking. Addiction fuels trafficking. The opioid epidemic and the COVID pandemic have led to increases in trafficking.”
According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there were 38 cases of human trafficking in West Virginia in 2019, tying the state with Delaware and Montana. As expected, California, the country’s most populous state, was No. 1 with 1,507, followed by Texas, 1,080; Florida, 896; and New York, 454. Vermont was last on the list with nine.
Human trafficking is broken down into three categories; sex, labor, and sex and labor. Sex trafficking can include escort services, illicit massage, health and beauty parlors, and pornography. Labor trafficking can be agriculture and animal husbandry or domestic work. And lastly, sex and labor trafficking is illicit massage, health and beauty parlors; bars, strip clubs and cantinas, and illicit activities, the national hotline said.
Poverty, addiction and lack of opportunities fuel human trafficking, Ashcraft said. In most cases, children, and not adults, tend to be the victims of the trade. Many children get involved because of their families.
“For those trafficked by people outside of their families, it can be a variety of things used to control, threats of (or actual) physical violence to the trafficked person or someone they love,” Ashcraft said in an email to The Dominion Post. “Often traffickers will purposefully get their victims addicted to a drug, so that they have to rely on the trafficker to obtain more or to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Often traffickers hold on to victims’ money, identification, and/or personal possessions. Sometimes, victims bond with their trafficker —“trauma bonding” — and won’t report them.”
States like West Virginia tend not to have a lot of specialized services for victims, so community organizations such as rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, and homeless shelters have to work together and get creative to help those who have been trafficked, she said.
“It’s not limited to cities,” Ashcraft said. “I think people outside of cities feel a false sense of security about trafficking. Much recruitment is done online using social media platforms, and that means it can happen absolutely anywhere, even in West Virginia’s geographically isolated hollers. Kids that want to get out of their small town are made promises of a better life, job opportunities, love and romance, a sense of family and belonging. I can say that the Tamarack rest stop in Beckley is known for being a hot spot for trafficking in the state. But it’s certainly not the only place it’s happening.”
In 2017, the state Attorney General established best practices aimed at raising awareness of the problem. Since that time, the office has offered training to more than 7,000 people, including 1,100 law enforcement officers.
Morrisey said tell-tale signs of a human trafficking victims include behavior changes. Some stop going to school, or run away from home. Tattoos are a common way for traffickers to brand their victims, his office said.
“The heartbreaking reality means everyone must be on the lookout for tell-tale signs common amongst victims of human trafficking; that includes parents, teachers, and other mentors or guardians,” he said.
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