- April 24, 2024
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Chair of Human Trafficking Committee Tammy Worden and her daughter, Leana Worden, matched in their dresses.
Beth Saxon rocked her LBD at Publix.
LBDs were everywhere at the JLDB's New Member Meeting.
Kelly Towers and Meagan Denton twinning in their little black dresses.
Jennifer Elston tends to be an introverted person. So when she signed up to participate with the Junior League of Daytona Beach's Little Black Dress Initiative, she wasn't totally sure how she was going to get the word out about human trafficking victims. Thanks to her little black dress, which she wore five days in a row, and a big red button that said "Ask me about my dress," talking to people about the issue wasn't a problem.
"People approached me everywhere, especially at the grocery store," Elston, community vice president of JLDB, said. "One lady even hugged me, and told me her granddaughter lived in California and was trafficked herself. She said, 'We're a well-off family, and I never thought it would happen to someone I knew.' But she's right. It covers all classes, races, and boundaries."
In total, the Junior League raised $1,500 by having its members wear the same black dresses for five days in a row to symbolize how little human trafficking victims have when they are rescued. The money will go to continued efforts to raise awareness about this issue, and to provide backpacks filled with necessities for local victims that are rescued.
"A couple of people were shocked, and said, 'Really? Even in this area?'" Elston said. "The initiative is largely about education. The donations are a bonus so we can keep raising awareness."
This was the league's first time hosting this awareness event, and they plan on doing it again next year due to its success with donations and participation. The organization had people joining in on the campaign in the middle of the week, and one local Ormond Beach organization made a large, anonymous donation.
"There's a feeling of camaraderie in Ormond Beach," Elston said. "It really helps us knowing our community is there to support us."
One of the main reasons why human trafficking is difficult to prosecute, is that it's difficult to identify. Ormond Beach Police Department Public Information Officer Keith Walker said the signs for human trafficking became known only about two or three years ago.
"It's not that easy to say "Here it is," he said. "It's not a girl coming over in a cage. Usually it's a runaway who hooks up with someone who's older and can give them money or drugs. We don't get called out to a human trafficking case, we get called out to a fight or a prostitution case."
A lot of times, Walker said the victims are under the false notion that their captor loves them, making it hard to convince the victim the come forward. He said third party witnesses are a big help, and here's what to look for, according to the Polaris Project:
"We have to break down barriers," Walker said, "and that's hard to do in the middle of the night when you only have them for two hours. There's human tracking happening in Ormond, Daytona and Port Orange that no one knows about. This past year we've charged other crimes, but it was obvious what it was."
Currently OBPD is working with other agencies on a human trafficking case, but no details can be revealed because it's a pending investigation.
Andrew Gant, spokesman for the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, said human trafficking comprises several different types of cases, including sex trafficking, juvenile sex trafficking, labor trafficking and involuntary servitude. Usually after an investigation gets going, the incident will be determined as a sexual battery or child abuse case instead.
"In 2015, the Department of Children and Families took 37 reports of human trafficking incidents involving minors in Volusia County," said Gant in an email. "Of those 37, we estimate that 6 to 8 were investigated by the Freedom 7 Human Trafficking Task Force for possible human trafficking violations."
The Freedom 7 Human Trafficking Unit was established just last year and covers the entire 7th Judicial Circuit — which includes Volusia, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns counties. It’s a victim-centered task force that ensures all potential victims of human trafficking get the resources they need as quickly as possible.
Sgt. Kurt Schoeps of VSCO's Sex Crimes Unit is the chairman of the task force’s law enforcement board and working group, which includes members of all four county Sheriff's Offices, the State Attorney's Office, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Agriculture, the University of Florida Child Protection Team, DCF and the Daytona Beach, Deland, Port Orange and Ormond Beach police departments.
The task force also works together on proactive operations to combat all types of human trafficking and partners with various service providers and faith-based organizations in our area.
