“Every 30 seconds, another person becomes the victim of human trafficking.”

 

That’s the opening line of a Powerpoint presentation given by Assistant County Attorney Victoria Powell to Safe Schools Committees across Sherburne County this school year. 

 

Sex trafficking is a $32 billion business in the U.S. - more than Nike, Starbucks and Google combined. And the FBI has identified the Twin Cities as one of 13 U.S. cities with a high incidence rate of child prostitution.

 

“These issues go on all over Minnesota, including smaller counties,” says Powell. “We’re informing the public about what to look for - the warning signs.”

 

A study done more than five years ago showed 213 girls each month are sold for sex in Minnesota. And it’s not just in the Twin Cities.

 

In January, 2016, a Waseca man was arrested during an undercover operation for human trafficking.

 

Six men were arrested in Dakota County last September and charged with solicitation in an undercover sting operation.

 

A man in Washington County was arrested last year for soliciting prostitution. Police found a tarp lining his car trunk. 

 

In August, 2014 an undercover operation found 13 men accused of engaging in prostitution with minors. Officers posed as minors soliciting sex on Craigslist and Backpage. 

 

Seven more men were arrested in August and October that year in similar sting operations.

 

It’s an issue Sherburne County is trying to be proactive about. The presentation to Safe School Committees was the first step. Typically Safe Schools Committees consist of administrators, counselors, social workers law enforcement liaison officers and sometimes, church-based groups, mental health facilities and chemical dependence facilities.

 

“We tried to reach out to the schools because often the school officials - the counselors, teachers and attendance office may be the first person or people to see those warning signs,” says Powell.

 

Health & Human Services is also a big part of the program. 

 

“Social worker Danette Bird is the go-to person who will reach out and meet with a child that we believe might be trafficked,” says Powell.

 

“There might be one to several different meetings because sometimes they have to build that rapport so that child feels they can be open and honest about what happened.”

 

Law enforcement has also been trained to look specifically for signs of sex trafficking. 

 

“If a patrol officer at 2 a.m. pulls over a car in Sherburne County with maybe a juvenile female and two older males, they may ask some questions that may focus on whether they can identify if the child is being trafficked,” says Powell, “and not just focus on the DUI or traffic stop.”

 

The county has also set up a Safe Harbor group comprised of social workers, law enforcement and the county attorneys office  who continually meet to address the issue.

 

They have also created a group called Families First, involving HHS, the Central MN Sexual Assault Center, law enforcement, local communities of faith and other agencies that work with kids.

 

Powell says she will also be going to hotels and motels in the county to put up posters alerting employees to make a call if they suspect child trafficking is happening here.

 

“We don’t have a lot of hotels and motels in Sherburne County, but it’s about awareness,” says Powell. “If you see something, say something. It’s a full approach to trying to bring awareness in Sherburne County.”

 

Some of the warning signs a child may be involved in sex trafficking include bruises or cuts, truancy issues, falling grades, new piercings or tattoos, substance abuse, getting hair and nails done more frequently, getting unexplained gifts and having multiple cell phones.

 

Powell says she’s invited back to schools to talk with the faculty and is already setting up a Parent’s Night next fall.

 

“The plan is to come back and reach the next level and then we’ll talk to the kids about it,” she says.

 

For more information, call HHS at 763-765-4000.