Myths and realities of human trafficking explored during Edmonds Waterfront Center presentation

Kirsten Foot with moderator Teresa Wippel Thursday night. (Photos by Daniel Johnson)

More than 100 people gathered at the Edmonds Waterfront Center Thursday night to learn ways they can make a difference in preventing human trafficking and making the community safer. Part of the Edmonds Author and Speaker Series co-sponsored by the My Neighborhood News Network. Kirsten Foot, executive director of Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST), explained the myths and realities of human trafficking.

The engaged audience learned that the crime of human trafficking flourishes because it is a relatively low-risk way for traffickers to make money by exploiting vulnerable people. By becoming informed and equipped, anyone can help victims get the help they need and prevent people from being trafficked, Foot said.

The nonprofit that Foot leads — Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking — helps employers stop human trafficking and provide safe jobs for trafficking survivors.

Kirsten Foot engages with the Edmonds Waterfront Center audience.

Foot explained that there are two types of human trafficking: sex trafficking and labor trafficking.

She stressed that unlike human smuggling, labor trafficking happens when force, fraud and coercion are used to compel a person into work. Foreign nationals account for 57% of victims in active forced labor cases. It happens every day and touches every industry in the U.S. and around the world.

BEST provides training for front-line employees in hospitality, aviation, maritime, transportation and a range of other industries. This report on KING-TV Wednesday highlighted how the BEST has trained Washington State Ferries workers to identify the characteristics of trafficking.

But Foot stressed that anyone can help fight human trafficking simply by being observant and alerting authorities if something doesn’t seem right. As an example, she explained how a woman in Mountlake Terrace observed a young teen who was working regularly at a coffee shop during school hours. The woman began talking with the teen and learned that she had come to the U.S. to live with extended family, thinking she would be attending school. Instead, she was told she would have to work in the coffee shop — with no salary — as a way of “repaying” her host family.

Foot advised that those who observe signs of human trafficking should call 911. Services are also available to victims and survivors through the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

 

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