Troy-Dothan seminar describes human trafficking threat

By Greg Phillips
Published: September 17, 2010

At age 15, Theresa Flores was enduring a type of torture most Americans can barely imagine.

Drugged and raped near her family’s upper-middle-class home in a Detroit suburb, Flores was blackmailed and threatened into two years of sex slavery, transported to various locations where she was abused physically and sexually.

Speaking at a seminar on human trafficking at Troy University’s Dothan campus Friday, Flores said what happened to her could happen to any family, regardless of language or financial barriers.

“I came from a really good family. I had both parents and siblings, was never abused and never did drugs,” she said. “There’s a lot of stories just like mine. We stay silent and don’t talk about it, so people don’t think it’s a problem, but for me it was a reality.”

During her ordeal, she still went to school and lived at home as if nothing happened, but each night was a living hell.

Now she hopes her story, written in her book “The Slave Across the Street,” can reach officers, counselors, parents and girls nationwide to prevent and stop the horrifying practice of human trafficking.

“I didn’t even know what to call what was done to me. I think with education and awareness, we can help end this,” Flores said. “The FBI has stated there’s 100,000 kids being sold for sexual purposes nationwide. It was a miracle I got out alive. Most girls don’t get out of this. We have a 40 percent higher mortality rate than normal teens.”

Hollywood movies such as “Taken” have shed some light on the issue in foreign countries, but many don’t realize the human trade business can be thriving in their own communities.

“We’ve seen some trafficking in our area, especially in Hispanic clubs, with females being transported for sexual purposes,” said Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes. “There’s a lot of this stuff going on in the Atlanta area, and we’ve seen some people transported from Atlanta to coastal areas. About 80 percent of it is for sexual purposes, and 20 percent is for labor. People just don’t realize, but there are still 27 million slaves in the world.”

Unfortunately, enforcement can be a problem.

“It’s hard to prove,” Hughes said. “We have no authority to enforce immigration laws. Alabama just passed a few human trafficking law in April, and we’re trying to get (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to work with us more. If they send someone with the authority, we will provide the manpower. A lot of times, it’s just hard to tell what’s going on. It’s a huge problem, not just for the ones being tortured and sold, but for the communities, since these traffickers bring in more crime. It makes our jobs a lot harder.”

Libby Glasgow, a member of the Zonta Club of Dothan, said Wiregrass residents need to be aware of the problem.

“Locally, there is almost no awareness,” she said. “It does happen here. It’s a hidden crime, hidden behind poverty, language and intimidation. You’re not going to find it unless you’re looking for it and know what to look for.”

For more information about human trafficking, visit www.ice.gov.