Modern slavery is oftentimes depicted as a phenomenon that occurs abroad, especially in third world or war-torn countries. Rarely do stories of human trafficking in our own backyards receive the same attention.
Human trafficking can include forcing people into labor intensive tasks or sexually exploiting them against their will. The types of exploitation can range from working as a migrant worker for very poor pay to having all of your earnings from dancing in a strip club taken by the owner.
While the degrees of exploitation can vary, the manipulative tactics used against victims are roughly similar. Traffickers persuade people into labor or sex work through false promises indicating good pay and better lives. Later on, victims are controlled through physical and emotional violence or constant threats to a victim’s family. Victims can come from any background.
Many women today are drawn into trafficking through false job opportunity postings found online, sometimes calling for dancers or models. Additionally, several human trafficking instances can be attributed to relationships built online.
The popularity of certain movies such as "Taken" and "Trade" have introduced the subject of human trafficking to broader audiences, however, not unlike Hollywood, it has also perpetuated many myths along with it.
The narrative that human trafficking happens when clueless Westerners are snatched up on the road by brown inhabitants of poverty-stricken nations is simply untrue. While the implications of modern slavery are still as frightening, this idea makes it hard for Americans to believe it happens at home too.
Michigan has several instances of human trafficking. However, the imagery that women could be kidnapped at the mall or bus stop are not only dangerous, but serve as fear-mongering rumors.
That isn’t to say the human trafficking that does happen in Michigan is not just as problematic.
In 2013, Togolese-born immigrant Jean-Claude Toviave was criminally charged for forcing four children to work in his Michigan home. Toviave brought them to the United States illegally, under the pretense that they were his own children. The West African native forced the children to cook and clean and routinely beat them with plungers, electrical cords and other items if they refused to comply.
In 2015, Christopher T. Bryant of Detroit was sentenced to forty years in prison for his involvement in operating a child sex trafficking ring in the Lansing area. Two other accomplices were arrested as well for recruiting minors for sex and posting online advertisements soliciting sex work. Bryant typically used violence and threats to subdue victims.
The stories are not meant to scare or sensationalize, but rather inform people of actual local instances of trafficking. It is essential to remain aware. If you suspect any human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at (888) 373-7888.
For more information about human trafficking, consult the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force located in the School of Criminal Justice.
Megdi Abebe is a student assistant at the Women's Resource Center and a guest columnist for The State News.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
