Orange County a big, lucrative market for sex trafficking [View all]

[proverbialwisdom]

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/county-728434-trafficking-orange.html

Orange County a big, lucrative market for sex trafficking

Sept. 9, 2016, Updated 12:01 a.m.
By THERESA WALKER

A new report has led those who work with victims of human trafficking to an unsavory conclusion about Orange County’s wealth: Perpetrators know they can bring victims here to sell for sex acts at a higher price than anywhere else in California.

“Whatever the price in Los Angeles County, whatever the price in San Diego County, it’s going to be twice the price in Orange County and it’s going to be worth the trip for them,” said Lita Mercado, an administrator with the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, which will release its annual report today.

This is the fourth year that the task force, a partnership of law enforcement, service providers, nonprofits and faith organizations, has produced its Human Trafficking Victim Report.

Members of the task force, including Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and local police chiefs, will discuss the report and local strategy to combat human trafficking at a news conference this morning.

For the first time, the task force report looks at the origins of victims who have been rescued in Orange County, along with the origins of perpetrators who have been prosecuted here.

The majority in both cases are from other California counties or out of state, the report says, based on a review of data from 2012 to 2015 by Community Service Programs, administrator of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force.

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A major federally funded campaign launched in 2014, called “Be The One” or BT1, involved ads on Orange County Transportation Authority buses and at bus shelters, along with training more than 1,100 OCTA drivers on how to spot victims of human trafficking aboard their buses.

Mercado credits public awareness efforts for increasing the number of calls made statewide to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. California has had more calls to that hotline than any other state, Mercado said.

http://blog.octa.net/award-winning-be-the-one-campaign-raises-awareness-about-human-trafficking

Award-Winning “Be the One Campaign” Raises Awareness about Human Trafficking
Wednesday, September 23, 2015

With its mix of education, direct assistance, and advice on how to help, OCTA’s Be the One (BT1) campaign continues to raise awareness about human trafficking. Last weekend, the BT1 campaign was recognized with a Diamond Award from the Global Center for Women and Justice, a program of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa.

The BT1 public awareness campaign alerts bus riders about the problem of sex and labor trafficking and encourages them to be the one to take action by calling a national hotline or alerting a coach operator. OCTA has trained more than 1,100 coach operators on how to spot and get help for victims.

Many residents may find it hard to believe that this form of modern-day slavery exists in Orange County. However, sex and labor trafficking is found throughout the county from the wealthiest to the poorest neighborhoods.

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http://octa.net/About-OCTA/Human-Trafficking-Prevention/

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Police-Orange-County-Transportation-Authority-Turn-to-Buses-to-Fight-Human-Trafficking-270250931.html
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/anaheim-orange-county-sex-trafficking-rescue-mission-247438461.html
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Human-Trafficking-Focus-Womans-Slaying.html