BY JESSICA PALL &
MELINDA PIERCE
Lions’ Pride Sports Editors

Photograph by Jo-Ann Johnson

Nola Theiss speaks to the crowded boardrooms in the SCC.

Imagine a 13-year-old girl from Guatemala who is taken from her home and brought to the United States on a horrible journey; she is raped multiple times and treated like an animal, only to be given to her captor who forces her to cook for his landscape company, watch his children, and be subjugated as his sex slave for many years.

On September 16, this story was told to an assembly of more than 100 Saint Leo students, faculty, and public by Nola Theiss, one of Florida’s leading authorities on human trafficking crime and founder and executive director of the local Human Awareness Partnerships Inc (HTAP). Holding a master’s in Public Administration and also the former mayor of Sanibel, Florida, Theiss was the first speaker of Saint Leo’s Distinguished Speaker Series focusing for the 2009-2010 school year. Having spoken to over 7,000 people in three countries about human trafficking, Theiss made a lasting imprint on everyone who sat in that room learning about the realities of human trafficking in today’s society.

Photograph by Jo-Ann Johnson

Nola Theiss speaks.

Beginning her lecture by stating, “You don’t know what you don’t know until you know it,” Theiss told the audience that human trafficking is both a global and local issue that can affect everyone.

Illustrating her point with a story about how she never saw huge bell towers in her community until they were pointed out, she explains that the more one is aware of human trafficking, the more victims can be discovered and rescued. “If I didn’t see the bell towers, how could I see a girl locked in her house?”

To encourage awareness, Theiss gave listeners homework. For three days, they were supposed to tell three people about this real issue in order to bring awareness to the community.

Most people believe that modern day slavery, or human trafficking, is not occurring in their local communities, but the reality is that human trafficking is found almost everywhere. Specifically, there are three types of human trafficking: commercial sex, forced labor agriculture, and domestic servitude. Further, if one lives near motels, restaurants, nail salons, airports, transient housing, or major interstate highways, then human trafficking may be present because of opportunities for abduction, concealment, and work.

Graphic courtesy of bagpipeonline.com

Saint Leo Junior Emily Zambito commented on how she did not realize that victims of human trafficking are everywhere.

“People assume human trafficking is a hidden issue but it turns out that it is right beneath us,” she stated.

Recently, a neighborhood in Treasure Island discovered it.

At least four women in their mid 20s found themselves captive of Kenyatta Cornelous, Edward Jones, and Corinna Shaffer of Treasure Island last May. Detective Jeremy Lewis stated, “The girls were forced to recruit and to endure brainwashing to the point where that they feel they have nowhere else to go.” After having their cell phones and IDs taken away, the women were subjected to rape, assault, and forced to work as a prostitutes. All went through violent mental, physical and sexual abuse, forced to dance and sell themselves at various nightclubs in Tampa. Cornelous, Jones, and Shaffer were arrested for operating human trafficking and a prostitution house in the local beach community of Treasure Island.

Immigrants are a major target in trafficking as 50 percent of immigrants become trafficked when they legally enter the United States. Traffickers will wait at customs, and when the immigrants arrive, ask for their passports and deceive by telling them they will provide work. Thus, a majority of victims are legal residents of the United States. However, human trafficking is a worldwide issue in which the majority of trafficked people are women and children ages 14 to 24 years old, approximately.

A staggering 27 million people are held in slavery today. Around 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders yearly. Over a million children are forced into the sex trade each year. Sadly, of the cases in the United States, only 1 percent is identified. Many of the victims in Florida are from China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, and Brazil.

Human trafficking is a hidden crime against the individual. Theiss explained that victims rarely turn themselves in because they are lied to and lured with false promises of education and jobs. Also, many captives are threatened injury to their family and friends if they try to escape. With the story of the Guatemalan girl in the beginning, her reason for being kept in captivity was “No one would believe me; it would be better if I was in jail, then someone would know I was alive.”

Senior Liz Hardy commented on the presentation, “Hearing Nola’s speech was incredibly inspiring. human trafficking is an issue that affects all of us, and it was great to realize that on a personal level and what I can do about it.”

After providing information about this issue, Theiss addressed the audience and explained why it was necessary to get involved. Both a homeland security and human rights issue, it is morally wrong to accept the existence of slavery in the United States. Additionally, human trafficking is also connected to other crimes; therefore, if eradicated, the overall crime rate will be lowered. Once people are aware of this issue, then it cannot be ignored.

At the end of her presentation, Theiss explained how individuals can help combat human trafficking. Making the community aware of this hidden slavery is the first step. Theiss stressed, however, that it is not one’s job to personally rescue victims, but to become aware that they are out there and get help. The best number to call if one suspects a victim is crime stoppers at 1-800-873-8477. Two other numbers that Theiss provided to the audience were Clearwater Sheriff’s office at 727-582-6200 and FBI 24 hour emergency at 813-273-4566 if one notices any suspicious activity.

Becoming educated is also important. Theiss absolutely recommends that everyone should read the excellent book concerning human trafficking, Half the Sky, Turning Oppression into Opportunity Worldwide by Kristof & Wudunn in 2009, calling it “the most important book published in this century so far.”

Finally, let the government know this is a priority issue. Theiss suggested writing letters to the editor of a newspaper praising the government when they do something to stop these horrible crimes.Speaker Urges Education, Local Push to Fight Human Trafficking