Latest HTMS Center News and Updates
Press Release: National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking
The Intersection of Human Trafficking and Porn.
By: Alyona Loguntsova, Human Trafficking & Modern Slavery Intern
In the last several decades, pornography has gone from being a shameful, taboo topic to one that is widely accepted as a viable career path. While porn can be financially beneficial to those involved (Glassdoor, 2023), if unchecked, it can also have negative effects on the lives of its subjects and “stars”. Many people who begin working in the sex and pornography industry are looking to embrace and liberate their sexuality (Isaacson, 2017), but some end up losing the very autonomy and freedom over their body that they were hoping to find. Others are struggling to make ends meet and get involved in porn “in hopes of earning a quick buck” (Morris, 2016). These financially vulnerable individuals can be prime targets for trafficking (USCSAHT). Although the dictionary defines pornography as “printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings”, there is no legal definition for it in the United States (Oxford Languages).
A jarring example of unchecked exploitation in the porn industry is that of GirlsDoPorn and Ruben Andre Garcia. GirlsDoPorn (GDP) was an American porn company founded by Michael Pratt and Michael Wolfe in 2009. Ruben Andre Garcia was an actor, producer, and recruiter for GDP from the years of approximately 2013 to 2017. During this time, the company grossed millions of dollars in profits (Department of Justice). GDP did most of its recruiting by scamming women into believing they were being scouted to be models (Gillespie, 2022). The recruiters would book flights for their targets, who would arrive several days prior to their casting shoots . Then, the recruiters would suggest that the women perform in pornographic videos (Gillespie).
When they refused, the traffickers would coerce them by canceling their flights home or physically stopping them from leaving (Gillespie). Additionally, the women were assured that their videos would not appear online, but they did anyway (Gillespie). The victims signed contracts with Garcia and his co-conspirators that had no mention of GirlsDoPorn or any of its associated businesses. None of the women received copies of their contracts (Gillespie). Many of the videos that were filmed were later sold to Pornhub and featured on the website. Due to Pornhub’s download feature, viewers were able to download the videos to their personal devices and re-upload them as they pleased, furthering the exploitation of these women. When the victims learned that the films they featured in were posted online, they begged Garcia and his colleagues to take them down, but their calls were blocked and ignored (Gillespie).
This case was eventually taken to court by the Acting U.S. Attorney General, Randy Grossman. The defendants included Garcia, co-founders Michael Pratt and Michael Wolfe, and other co-conspirators. The attorneys on the case worked to prove that Garcia and others exploited, coerced, and defrauded hundreds of women for no other reason than their own financial gain. On December 17, 2020, Ruben Andre Garcia plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, per 18 U.S.C. § 1594(c), and one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, per 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a)(1) and (2) (Casetext). Garcia’s co-conspirators, Theodore Gyi and Valorie Moser, also plead guilty to one count of sex trafficking each. Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and Gyi to 4. Founder Michael Pratt remained a fugitive for several years, but was captured in Spain on December 21, 2022 after months on the FBI’s most wanted list. Pratt awaits extradition and trial on multiple charges of conspiracy, fraud, and sex trafficking (CBS7 News).
Following the ruling on this case, Pornhub removed 75% of GDP’s videos from their site, but hundreds still remain. Even though Pornhub financially and legally partnered with GirlsDoPorn and shared these videos on their own website, none of its executives have faced any legal consequences, although 50 victims of Garcia’s scam are now suing Pornhub for over $100 million in damages (Mickelwait, 2021). Despite facing allegations of human trafficking for years, Pornhub only committed to ensuring consent in the videos they upload by hiring a third-party identity verification in 2021 in response to a slew of abuse reports. Additionally, Pornhub committed to cracking down on videos that depict child sexual abuse (Brodkin, 2020). If pornography companies are aware of the abuses that occur within their industry, they often only attempt to stop them when they are threatened with legal action or negative press (Gillespie, 2022).
Sources:
CBS7. (2022, December 24). Porn site founder accused of sex trafficking caught in Spain. https://www.cbs7.com. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://www.cbs7.com/2022/12/24/porn-site-founder-accused-sex-trafficking-caught-spain/
Department of Justice. (2021, June 15). Twenty-Year Sentence in GirlsDoPorn Sex Trafficking Conspiracy. Southern District of California | Twenty-Year Sentence in GirlsDoPorn Sex Trafficking Conspiracy | United States Department of Justice. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/twenty-year-sentence-girlsdoporn-sex-trafficking-conspiracy
Gillespie, C. (2022, September 11). Pornhub fuels human trafficking. Northern Iowan. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://www.northerniowan.com/17373/campus-life/pornhub-fuels-human-trafficking/#:~:text=A%20recent%20example%20is%20the,turned%20out%20to%20be%20true.
Hon. JANIS L. SAMMARTINO, U. S. D. J. (2021, December 14). United States v. Garcia. Legal research tools from Casetext. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-garcia-2562/
Isaacson, Betsy. “Why These 3 Women Chose to Go into Porn.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 7 Dec. 2017, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/porn-stereotypes_n_5129137.
Jon Brodkin – Dec 9, 2020 6:13 pm U. T. C. (2020, December 9). Pornhub blocks uploads and downloads in crackdown on child-sexual-abuse videos. Ars Technica. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/12/pornhub-bans-uploads-by-unidentified-users-amid-child-abuse-investigations/
Mickelwait, L. (2021, June 21). Girlsdoporn sentencing is win for trafficking victims. but Justice isn’t yet fully served. USA Today. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/06/21/girlsdoporn-sentencing-porn-hub-sex-trafficking-victims/7727760002/
Morris, Chris. “Porn’s Dirtiest Secret: What Everyone Gets Paid.” CNBC, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2016, https://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/20/porns-dirtiest-secret-what-everyone-gets-paid.html.
“Oxford Languages and Google – English.” Oxford Languages, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.
“Poverty & Human Trafficking.” U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking, https://www.sistersagainsttrafficking.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/USCSAHT-HT-and-Poverty.pdf.
Salary: Pornstars (February, 2023) | Glassdoor. https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/pornstars-salary-SRCH_KO0,9.htm.
Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery in The Russia-Ukraine Crisis
By: Michael Bondzie, Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Intern
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, many have evacuated from their homes. According to the United Nations, as of March 18th, more than 3 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine, and there are over 1.9 million people internally displaced (United Nations Ukraine). UNICEF has estimated that more than 1.5 million children have fled, and it is estimated that a child becomes a refugee of the war every second. (NPR). Men in Ukraine (ages 18-60) are not able to leave the country since martial law was declared on the day of the invasion. This means that an overwhelming majority of those who have evacuated the country are women and children.
With this massive amount of people fleeing, there are increased risks. According to U.N Women, displaced women and children are at a greater risk of trafficking and sexual exploitation, especially with the established trafficking networks in Eastern Europe. The UN has also said that this economic state can make women more vulnerable to being exploited, as well as make them more likely to engage in child marriage and survival sex to meet basic needs (NPR). Children are also placed at higher risk in this crisis and are now more susceptible to being a victim of human trafficking. Ilias Chatzis, Chief of the UNODC Section on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, said that “traffickers are known to use methods such as phony travel arrangements and fake job offers as well as violence, to trick and coerce their victim” (United Nations). Conflict breaking outputs those displaced at greater risk, and that is exactly the case during this war.
To help support the large groups of refugees, multiple European governments have offered cash incentives to host the migrants. The Polish government is offering 40 zlotys a day (just under $10) to residents who make space in their homes, while Britain is promising 350 pounds(about $450) a month. This does come with some risks, which these governments are aware of, and they are prepared to protect the migrants through checks of the hosts. (Washington Post). Even with this cash incentive, there will still be independent actors who try to interact with the migrants, acting like they can help them out. However, not everyone has good intentions, and some are trying to use this crisis to traffic or exploit these individuals.
To conclude, human trafficking and modern slavery are potentially byproducts of the war. With many women and children displaced, combined with well-established trafficking networks in Eastern Europe, those displaced are at great risk of exploitation by trafficking attempts. While other governments in Europe are incentivizing their citizens to help, not everyone who is claiming they want to help has good intentions, and some will use this opportunity to exploit those in a very difficult situation. Hopefully, efforts to help those migrants will be very effective, and will not be negatively impacted by those with bad intentions. If you need help or in case of an emergency, the IOM-supported National Migrant Advice and Counter-Trafficking Hotline can be reached in Ukraine at 527 (free from mobile phones) or 0 800 505 501 (free from landline phones) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and those staying abroad can reach hotline consultants at 527.hotline@gmail.com.
Sources:
Dastagir, Alia E. “Terrified Children, Men Left behind, Sex Trafficking: Women in Ukraine Fight a Different Kind of War.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 20 Mar. 2022, www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2022/03/16/russia-ukraine-war-women-vulnerable-trauma-sexual-violence/7059192001/.
Diaz, Jaclyn. “The 1.5 Million Children Who Fled Ukraine Are at Risk of Human Trafficking.” NPR, NPR, 19 Mar. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/03/19/1087749861/ukraine-children-unicef-risk-report-human-trafficking.
“One Month of War Leaves More than Half of Ukraine’s Children Displaced | | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1114592.
Powell, Tori B. “Unicef Warns 1.5 Million Kids Fleeing Ukraine at Risk of Trafficking and Exploitation.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 19 Mar. 2022, www.cbsnews.com/news/unicef-child-trafficking-kids-ukraine/.
Rosenzweig-Ziff, Dan, et al. “With Mostly Women and Children Fleeing Ukraine, European Authorities Fear a Surge in Human Trafficking.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 17 Mar. 2022, www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/17/human-trafficking-refugees-ukraine-war/.
“Russian Invasion in Ukraine Leads to Increased Risks of Human Trafficking – IOM in Ukraine.” United Nations, United Nations, ukraine.un.org/en/175247-russian-invasion-ukraine-leads-increased-risks-human-trafficking-iom.
Combatting Human Trafficking One Operation at a Time
By: Jamielyn Davis- HTMS Intern
As more human trafficking operations are uncovered in Florida, law enforcement agencies continue to investigate suspicious activity that leads to operations that help aid in the fight against human trafficking. In Tallahassee, Florida, one case resulted in over 170 arrests for multiple charges, including solicitation and trafficking of a minor, and indicted 19 defendants on federal charges (The United States Department of Justice, 2020). A pivotal moment in investigation “Stolen Innocence” came when provocative and revealing pictures of a minor were posted on a website that advertised sex for money (The United States Department of Justice, 2020). The Tallahassee Police Department, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the United States Marshal Service, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted this investigation with great resulting in multiple state and federal charges in this operation (The United States Department of Justice, 2020).
These types of investigations continue to protect the innocent of society and detain those who would subject others to this kind of brutality. It is crucial to educate the public as to how vulnerable our citizens can be to traffickers and the signs that might betray such trafficking. Minors are frequently the victims of human trafficking, often a form of manipulation and coercion that encourages adolescents to perform forced labor or sex acts. As millions a year are trafficked throughout the world, the more informed the public is about the dangers of human trafficking, the greater the possibility of reducing these sorts of victimizations.
Due to the frequency with which our children are subjected to this cruel treatment, it is pertinent to inform citizens that the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (Human Trafficking Intervention Initiatives | Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (state.fl.us) provide supportive services to youth who have been victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation. A key component of OJJDP is the provision of tools to assist court personnel in understanding trafficking dynamics (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, n.d.). As part of the program, they are also taught how to identify possible victims of child trafficking on the job. The Office of Justice and Human Rights Development supports organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that assist in the search for missing children and trafficking victims (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, n.d.). NCMEC operates a Missing Children Hotline and Cyber Tipline that uses technology to bring attention to missing children. A valuable tool for finding victims of human trafficking is social media. Because of this, it is important to be able to identify the signs of a victim and to be alert to suspicious activity (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, n.d.).
Considering the potential scope of human trafficking operations happening across the country, it is important to educate citizens on how to combat human trafficking. The U.S. Department of State has presented effective methods that will aid in the fight against human trafficking. At a more regional level, the Florida Office of the Attorney General (Florida Attorney General – What is Human Trafficking? (myfloridalegal.com) also provides information on recognition and response to suspected human trafficking. Through the National Human Trafficking Hotline and related training, suspicious activity can be identified and investigated more easily (U.S. Department of State, 2021).
Volunteering and supporting anti-trafficking organizations can spread awareness of the dangers day-to-day living can present. Using social media as a platform to spread approved information and awareness encourages more to become involved. Resources are also available for presenting opportunities for schools to enter human trafficking awareness into their curriculum (U.S. Department of State, 2021). To further combat trafficking operations, organizations that raise awareness on human trafficking and how to combat it are encouraged (U.S. Department of State, 2021). By applying these methods, citizens can combat future trafficking operations and bring more awareness to this rising issue.
Sources
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (n.d.). Human trafficking resources. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/programs/human-trafficking-resources.
The United States Department of Justice. (2020, November 17). More than 170 charged following a large-scale human trafficking investigation. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl/pr/more-170-charged-following-large-scale-human-trafficking-investigation.
U.S. Department of State. (2021, January 11). 20 ways you can help fight human trafficking – united states department of state. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://www.state.gov/20-ways-you-can-help-fight-human-trafficking/.
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Please join UCF Victim Services’ Victim Advocates for a Lunch & Learn workshop. You bring the Lunch and we’ll bring the Learn ;). This will be interactive presentations on important topics that affect our students. How can they be defined, identified and responded to. What options are available if they occur and what services can be offered to those affected. Hope to see you all there.
- 3/4/2020 Wednesday
- Stuck on You (Stalking presentation)
- 12:00pm-1:00pm
- Downtown campus
- DPAC room 278
- 1000 link loot points
- 3/17/2020 Tuesday
- Stuck on You (Stalking presentation)
- 12:00pm-1:00pm
- Main campus
- UCFPD SU room 153
- 1000 link loot points
- 4/6/2020 Monday
- Let’s Talk About Sex! (Consent presentation)
- 12:00pm-1:00pm
- Main campus
- UCFPD SU room 153
- 4/16/2020 Thursday
- Let’s Talk About Sex! (Consent presentation)
- 12:00pm-1:00pm
- Downtown campus
- DPAC room 278
Dr. Roberto Hugh Potter Speaks at UCF’s Science Café
UCF professor Dr. Roberto Hugh Potter spoke Thursday evening at the Science Café in the Physical Sciences Building about “Applying science to the ‘Wicked problem’ of Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery.”
Potter painted a picture of the evolution of human trafficking in the United States with a very personal anecdote; during his time working for the CDC in Atlanta, Potter witnessed “Pimp balls” describing the big parties as a “celebration of the pimp lifestyle,” with a lot of the trafficked being kids. He highlights however that “over the last twenty years, I would argue we really have, particularly in regards to sex trafficking, begun to recreate the problem so that it is an acceptable problem for us to intervene on.”
As a sociologist in practice and with many years of teaching criminal justice, public health, and cultural studies, Potter describes human trafficking as a “moral issue” that must be addressed in schools starting at a very young age. He further describes one of the major challenges for the field of social science is the ever changing social definition of what constitutes a “problem,”. Potter also adds that one of the most difficult issues the field of research has to overcome is in the lack of data. He continuously called for greater qualitative and quantitative studies into why people get involved in human trafficking, stressing that “we are beginning to apply science.” Nonetheless, he credits some improvement in law enforcement and social services agencies who, in the last ten years, incorporated “human trafficking prevention and intervention… for any major event.”
According to Potter there are four issues which need addressed in tackling human trafficking; Surveillance which is defining the problem and collecting data, Risk Factor Identification which is identifying the causes, Developing and Testing Interventions which are the post-evaluation, and Implementation and Effectiveness Measurement which is community intervention and awareness. He describes the steps needed to tackle the problem as observing, measuring, and pinpointing factors in order to figure out what can be done to prevent human trafficking and intervene.
When discussing the backgrounds of those involved in human trafficking, he highlights men is the most common background, jokingly pointing to himself and saying, “WE ARE IT!” He mentions that being male is not the exclusive factor, but “a major risk factor.” He further begs the question of the opportunity structure that plays a big role and “what is it that stops us from doing criminal activities?” He remarks, “You can only sell a drug once, but you can sell a girl a couple hundred times,” a saying in the field of human trafficking that is used to put into perspective as to why people engage in this criminal activity.
Potter asserts that there is a moral and legal obligation to address this issue on college campuses and calls for students and faculty to “challenge awareness.” He commends UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality for taking the initiative to address leadership to combat human trafficking within the industry. He argues that there is a “baseball field” model for human trafficking and the core elements being intervention, supply reduction, demand reduction, treatment, and prevention, with prevention being the most important.
Interestingly, one of the audience members asked whether the application of this scientific approach “works better in the bigger, national or local, smaller scale.” He responded with the idea that it truly starts with the individual and works the way up to a community and then to the national level, claiming that the top-down approach will not be as effective. Additionally, another question asked was whether “the legalization of prostitution has a positive or negative effect on human trafficking.” Potter addressed this question by saying that there is not enough research on this, but that often, human trafficking does continuously occur even where there is a legalized market because the demand is always there. He also answered a question which asked if better, more comprehensive sex education early on helps human trafficking which he replied by saying that in regards to the physiological aspect the answer is no, but that “we need to demystify sexual behaviors and relations… beef up each other’s autonomy and power on our own bodies.”
The College of Science’s Science Café event was organized and funded by The UCF Office of Research, The Physics Department, The UKnighted Chemistry Graduate Student Association, The Graduate Society of Physics Students, and The Environmental Health and Safety Department, which all brought together several students and faculty to discuss this major social problem.
-Diego Kroeff, The Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives
Human Trafficking at the 2019 American Society of Criminology Annual MeetingUCF and other Florida State University System schools were well represented in human trafficking research presentations at the 75th Annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology (ASC). The meetings were held in San Francisco, CA from November 13-16.
There were seven (7) sessions dedicated to human trafficking issues, with around 27 separate papers or posters focused on human trafficking issues across those seven and multiple other sessions. UCF faculty and students were represented on three panels and papers. These included the Departments of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and the Public Affairs Doctoral program. Another three presentations were spread across the Florida International University (Criminal Justice) and the Departments of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and Children and Families (DCF).
Specific papers from UCF included:
Diaz, M., Huff-Corzine, L., & Corzine, H. (Jay). Demanding Reduction: A County-level Analysis of Human Trafficking Arrests in Florida. (UCF Sociology)
Scaggs, S., Gomez, K. Aboul-Hosn, S., & Gibbs, D.A. Human Trafficking Among Juvenile Justice Involved, Child Welfare Involved, and Crossover Youth in Florida. (Ms. Gomez is a student in the Public Affairs Doctoral Program and Director of Human Trafficking Intervention for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice)
Moreto, W. & Burton, C. The Convergence of CAPTURED Fish and People: Examining the Symbiotic Nature of Labor Trafficking and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. (UCF Criminal Justice).
Press Release- New Director for UCF’s Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery.
Press Conference- The University of Central Florida announced a partnership to help stop human trafficking. Read more at https://www.wftv.com/news/local/ucf-partners-with-united-abolitionists-in-fight-to-end-human-trafficking/990142353