SEX TRAFFICKING ATTORNEYS
SEX TRAFFICKING ATTORNEYS
PURSUING JUSTICE FOR SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIMS & THEIR FAMILIES
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. It is the exploitation of men, women, and children for forced labor or sex by a third party for profit or gain. Sex traffickers will frequently target their victims, then use violence, but most human traffickers use psychological means such as tricking, defrauding, manipulating, or threatening victims into providing commercial sex or exploitative labor.
Also, sex trafficking is not the same as prostitution, where exchanging sex for money is often “voluntary.” Far too often, commercial sex victims are under the age of 18. Regardless of the use of force, fraud, or coercion, minors engaging in commercial sex are considered victims of human trafficking.
Sex trafficking is a multibillion-dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 24.9 million people around the world. More than 32,000 cases of human trafficking were documented between December 2007 and December 2016 through the operation of the National Human Trafficking Hotline and BeFree Textline — the largest data set on human trafficking in the United States ever compiled and publicly analyzed.
Potts Law Firm diligently pursues a variety of complex litigation and mass tort matters, from complex pharmaceutical cases to personal injury claims. The firm’s team of highly competent attorneys has experience in many different areas of the law. Taking into account every detail of a case, our attorneys work tirelessly to pursue just compensation, regardless of the obstacles faced.
If you are a survivor or are currently a victim of sex trafficking, contact us for a confidential andfree consultation. We fight for the justice you deserve.
HOTELS & MOTELS
Hotels are a crucial piece of the infrastructure necessary to facilitate sex trafficking in “in-call” and “out-call” escort services. Hotels and motels may also be used for commercial sex acts in other sex trafficking business models where solicitation may be initiated elsewhere like nearby streets, bars, strip clubs, cantinas, or truck stops. Magazine sales crews rely on hotels and motels as they travel from state to state.
SOCIAL MEDIA & HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Technology is increasingly playing a role in the practices and processes surrounding human trafficking. Human trafficking has many facets to it, and technology’s role varies as a result. Technology companies have a responsibility to protect their users from predatory practices. When they fail to do so, they should be held accountable.
THE GROOMING PROCESS
According to information from The Ohio State University, “The perpetrators of trafficking employ a ‘grooming process’ to draw victims away from their homes or to gain the trust and dependency of young victims who may have run away from home. The first step is often the development of a relationship with an older man, who the victim comes to regard as her “boyfriend.” The perpetrator assesses the victim’s needs (vulnerabilities) and offers flattery; material items such as money, jewelry, or clothes; and/or displays other ‘acts of love.’ The adolescent female may be enticed to begin a sexual relationship with her ‘boyfriend.’ The adolescent will be encouraged to stay away from home for increasingly longer periods of time, eventually leading to her not returning home at all.”
ILLEGAL MASSAGE PARLORS & SPAS
Trafficking related to massage parlors was second in prevalence only to trafficking in escort services. The data available almost certainly does not represent anything close to the scope of the problem. Traffickers operate in the shadows, and the tools they use to exploit victims are such that the victims themselves often do not know that what is happening to them is against the law. Evidence suggests that many of the thousands of women engaging in commercial sex in illicit massage businesses (IMBs) are victims of human trafficking.
Contact our sex trafficking lawyers if you or a loved one have survived or are currently involved in sex trafficking.
IT’S ALL ABOUT OUR POWER
WORK WITH POTTS LAW FIRM
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Who can be a victim?
Victims of sex trafficking can be U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, women, men, children, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Vulnerable populations are frequently targeted by traffickers, including runaway and homeless youth, as well as victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, war, or social discrimination.
Q: What are some red flags of work and living conditions?
In places where sex trafficking is occurring, red flags of work and living conditions may include:
- Employees are not free to leave or come and go at will
- Employees are under 18 and providing commercial sex acts
- Employees are in the commercial sex industry and have a pimp/manager
- Employees are unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips
- Employees work excessively long and/or unusual hours
- Employees are not allowed breaks or suffer under unusual restrictions at work
- Employees owe a large debt that they are unable to pay off
- Employees were recruited through false promises concerning the nature and conditions of their work
- High-security measures exist in the work and/or living locations (e.g., opaque windows, boarded-up windows, bars on windows, barbed wire, security cameras, etc.)
- Employees are living and working on site
- Employees experience verbal or physical abuse by their supervisor
- Employees are not given proper safety equipment
- Employees are not paid directly
- Employees are forced to meet daily quotas
Q: What are some red flags for illegal massage parlors and spas?
Some red flags that may indicate that a massage parlor or spa is involved in sex trafficking include:
- Permit or license for something other than actual business
- Male clientele
- Location may have a guarded entrance
- Open at unusual hours compared to the businesses on either side
- Cameras both inside and outside
- The location storefront may be curtained off, blocked, etc.
- Location may be locked and opened only when someone is at the door
- “Employees” may be ferried to and from work by the “spa” or may live at the location
- Men walking through the parking lot, seem to be confused, and/or talking on their cell phones
- Condoms in the parking lot drains or pipes
Q: What should I do if I am a victim of human trafficking or suspect of illicit activity?
If the situation is an emergency or you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 911 and alert the authorities. Call or contact Polaris Project. Polaris is a nationwide non-profit. The organization employs experienced professionals to guide victims and survivors of human trafficking. Also, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
TESTIMONIALS
IT’S ALL ABOUT OUR APPROACH
At Potts Law Firm, we believe the details of your case matter and we work tirelessly to pursue just compensation on your behalf. Our team of experienced attorneys and staff are backed with the resources they need to win regardless of the obstacles your case faces. We do this all while keeping an open line of communication with you.
IT’S ALL ABOUT
YOUR SUCCESS