Drugs as Coercion
Responding to Drug-Facilitated Human Trafficking
Human traffickers control their victims through force, fraud, and/or coercion. Coercion, specifically, can take many forms, including seeking out vulnerable victims facing substance abuse. In other cases, traffickers may introduce victims to drugs and/or alcohol to facilitate their crimes and establish additional control. Understanding basic toxicology better allows law enforcement, prosecutors, and medical professional to recognize how drugs and alcohol affect a victims' ability to recognize their situation, participate in the criminal justice system, and recover from the trauma of trafficking.
The presentation will identify common dynamics in sex and labor trafficking and describe how drugs and alcohol are used to assert and maintain control over their victims and perpetrate trafficking and trafficking related crimes. The presenter will discuss the importance of and strategies for collaborating with service providers and medical professionals to identify drug-facilitated human trafficking, provide much needed care, and educate other allied professionals about the effects of drug use in the context of trafficking dynamics.
Objectives
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be better able to:
• Identify the role of drugs and alcohol in human trafficking organizations
• Investigate and prosecute sex and labor trafficking cases involving drugs and alcohol
• Collaborate with allied professionals to support victims, better understand toxicology, and enhance investigations and prosecutions
Jane Anderson brings her expertise in prosecuting domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking to her role as an Attorney Advisor with AEquitas. Prior to joining AEquitas, Jane served as a prosecutor in Miami, Florida where she tried many of the state's first human trafficking cases, including cases against buyers, cases built on digital evidence, and cases where additional charges such as racketeering, child pornography, and money laundering were used to hold offenders accountable. Jane develops and delivers training and technical assistance around the country and she serves as the Task Force Liaison for several human trafficking task forces.