Sex Trafficking

Summary

• In addition to physical and sexual injuries, sex trafficking causes serious mental and emotional health conditions, including anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance abuse and addiction.
• Victims of sex trafficking may file a civil lawsuit against individuals, businesses, and/or organizations that financially benefit from trafficking, whether they knew or should have known what was happening.
• Civil sex trafficking lawsuits can empower survivors and help with the healing process. A lawsuit is often the only form of justice, but it can also lead to changes within industries to prevent trafficking and uncover those involved.

Why Hire HKGC for a Sex Trafficking Lawsuit

Sex trafficking affects people of all ages, races, gender identities, ethnicities, and income levels. Anyone can become a victim of sex trafficking, and when they do, their lives are forever changed due to the serious physical, emotional, and psychological trauma they endure.

Moving forward as a human trafficking survivor is overwhelming. It’s common for sex trafficking victims to feel continued fear, anger, and uncertainty about who they are, all while dealing with a range of possible physical and invisible injuries that may never fully heal.

Unfortunately, human traffickers are good at hiding and covering their tracks, making it difficult to find enough evidence to arrest and successfully prosecute them. But there is a way to seek justice and recover compensation for what you’ve gone through: federal law gives victims of sex trafficking the right to file a civil sex abuse lawsuit against individuals, organizations, and businesses that financially benefit from these crimes.

At Herman, Katz, Gisleson & Cain, our compassionate attorneys have helped alleviate some of the burdens that human trafficking victims experience by advocating on their behalf, fighting for justice and accountability, and ensuring they’re fairly compensated. While money can’t erase your trauma, a lawsuit may bring a sense of closure and empowerment, spur changes within businesses and industries, and ensure you have what’s needed to heal.

Sex trafficking is a hideous crime that has a lasting, and profound, impact on victims. Our Louisiana sex abuse attorneys have extensive experience handling cases for human trafficking victims and understand the intricacies of the applicable laws. We offer survivors a safe and confidential space to share what happened, guide them through the legal process, and fight tirelessly on their behalf. If you or someone you love was a victim of sex trafficking, contact us online or call 1-844-943-7626 for a free consultation.

What is Sex Trafficking and How Does it Happen?

Sex trafficking is coercing, forcing, or manipulating someone into providing commercial sex acts. In Louisiana, you do not have to demonstrate that force, fraud, or coercion was used when victims are under 21 years old.

It’s a common misconception that human trafficking victims are usually moved to another country or far from their home. While this does happen in some cases, a lot of sex trafficking victims remain not only in their home country but in the same city or even the neighborhood they lived in.

There are numerous reasons why victims remain quiet and don’t report what’s happening to them. Perpetrators are skilled at wielding psychological control over their victims; they instill fear, break down their confidence, isolate them from friends, limit access to money, and control every aspect of their lives, all of which prevent them from seeking help. In addition, many sex trafficking victims experience or are threatened with physical and sexual violence.

While anyone could become a human trafficking victim, traffickers prey on vulnerable populations – those who are poor, living in an unsafe situation (abusive parents or partner), or are searching for a better life. Victims are assessed, recruited, and groomed. They’re forced to rely on their traffickers, often under the guise of a better life. Sex trafficking affects not just victims, but their families and entire communities.

Human Trafficking Statistics in Louisiana and the U.S.

Before reviewing human trafficking statistics, it’s important to note that crimes of this kind are greatly underreported; the data that’s available doesn’t provide a true reflection of how many people are trafficked. In fact, it’s likely human trafficking statistics are a fraction of reality, and yet, the numbers are still disturbing and show that these crimes happen far too often.

It’s estimated around 27 million people worldwide are being trafficked. In Louisiana, the Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention said there were 1,743 confirmed, suspected, and unknown victims of human trafficking who received services in 2023. Of those reported, 84% were female and 83% were under 17 years old. The majority (86%) of individuals who received these services were victims of sex trafficking.

Due to the secrecy surrounding human trafficking and the elusiveness of traffickers, the exact number of victims in the U.S. is unknown. However, some organizations estimate over one million victims are currently being trafficked throughout the country.

The Human Trafficking Hotline received more than 30,000 signals via phone calls, texts, online chats, emails, and online tip reports in 2023. The number of victims involved in the 9,619 trafficking cases identified was 16,999. Since the Hotline’s inception in 2007, 197,000 human trafficking victims have been identified.

Sex Trafficking Lawsuits and Legislation

Sex trafficking is much more rampant in the U.S. than most know. Unfortunately, those involved with facilitating and profiting from sex trafficking often get away with their crimes. It can take years, even decades, to uncover the people and businesses responsible for forcing, coercing, and/or manipulating victims into the commercial sex trade, and holding them criminally responsible – putting them in prison – happens far less than it should.

Thanks to federal legislation that was enacted in 2000 and then reauthorized and expanded upon over the years, victims of sex trafficking may file a civil lawsuit – and they can do so regardless of whether those responsible or who profited from it face criminal charges. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) provides victims the right to file a civil lawsuit against parties that profited from, enabled, or were directly involved in human trafficking. Because of the TVPRA, defendants in a civil sex trafficking lawsuit can be individuals, organizations, and/or businesses.

In many sex trafficking cases in Louisiana and throughout the U.S., a civil lawsuit is the only form of justice victims see, while also recovering compensation for the extensive damages associated with the crimes committed against them. In addition to individuals, defendants in these lawsuits could be a range of businesses, from airlines, truck stops, hotels, and websites, to bars, massage parlors, strip clubs, and more. Hotels and other companies do not have to knowingly allow or participate in recruiting sex workers to be sued. If they knew or should have known what was happening, they may be liable under the TVPRA. Trafficking survivors should speak with an attorney to discuss their case and legal options.

Types of Sex Trafficking

Traffickers intentionally and specifically target certain people – the most vulnerable – such as those who are homeless or living in poverty, new to the area or country, in need of work, addicted to drugs, runaways or kids with unstable home lives, and people with low self-esteem.

The most common types of sex trafficking in Louisiana and the U.S. are:

• Outdoor solicitation/prostitution
• Pornography
• Escort services
• Illicit massage
• Residential-based commercial sex
• Personal sexual servitude

Emerging types of sex trafficking in America occur at bars, strip clubs, and cantinas. Understanding emerging trends and where people are trafficked can help businesses prepare and assist in stopping human trafficking.

What’s Being Done to Stop Human Trafficking?

There are multiple ways the government, support organizations, and advocacy groups are trying to stop human trafficking. New and changing legislation, increased reporting tools, greater access to services, awareness campaigns, and coordination between trafficking hotlines and law enforcement are some of the ways sex trafficking is being combated in the U.S.

But there’s more being done to stop human trafficking as a result of the human trafficking lawsuits against hotels in recent years. Many hospitality businesses like hotels have taken steps to prevent trafficking from occurring on their premises. They’ve added specific training for employees to help them identify signs of trafficking, what to do if they see suspicious activity and new procedures for reporting concerns.

Resources for Human Trafficking Victims

There are numerous state and federal support programs, resources, hotlines, and agencies to help victims of sex trafficking. If you’re in immediate danger, call 911. Police coordinate with local support services and can connect victims with what they need.

If it’s not an emergency, these state and national organizations have important resources and can be contacted for help and more information.

• National Human Trafficking Hotline: Available 24/7. You can call 1-888-373-7888, text “BEFREE” or “HELP” to 233733, or chat online with a hotline advocate.
• Louisiana Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention: This website can be used to learn more about human trafficking in Louisiana, to find services in your region, and to report suspected trafficking.
• Hearts of Hope (Center for Sexual Trauma): The 24-hour crisis line can be reached at 1-337-233-7273. 

Knowing the warning signs of human trafficking is important, and with the role of the internet, everyone should know safe practices when they’re online. These resources for parents and caregivers can help keep kids safe.

Once you’ve gotten support and broken free from your traffickers, we can provide a safe space for you to share what happened and walk you through the legal process of filing a civil sex trafficking lawsuit. Contact our attorneys today.