Federal authorities did not prosecute any human trafficking cases last year in Alabama, while four of its neighbors reported multiple cases, according to a report by the Human Trafficking Institute.
“The crime of trafficking happens everywhere, hidden in plain sight,” said the institute’s Director of Legal Engagement, Lindsey Roberson.
“Anytime there’s been real resources that are driven to address human trafficking, to increase the staffing and knowledge, then there’s going to be an increase in efficacy, the ability to combat this crime.”
No criminal human trafficking cases were filed in federal court in Alabama last year, no defendants were convicted and there were no defendants charged with sex trafficking, according to the report, which tracked federal court records.
In contrast, in 2020 Georgia had 14 active sex trafficking cases, Florida had 32, Tennessee had seven and Mississippi had 5.
“Human trafficking is certainly a priority for the Department of Justice and our office,” said Douglas Howard, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Alabama.
“We work closely with our law enforcement partners and always remain watchful for cases appropriate for federal prosecution, especially those that impact vulnerable victims, such as human trafficking or child exploitation.”
Roberson said she could not comment on Alabama’s lack of federal cases. Training law enforcement and social services staffs to identify victims of sex, labor and other human trafficking are key to addressing the issue, she said.
In 2020, 218 human trafficking cases were filed in federal courts nationwide. The vast majority of those, 93 percent, were sex trafficking, and the remaining 7 percent were forced labor trafficking. Most human trafficking prosecuted in the United States occurs intra-state, the report found.
The study did not look at human trafficking cases prosecuted in state courts or the prevalence of human trafficking in the United States.
“I think prevalence is incredibly hard to track because you are trying to prove a population that isn’t caught in any kind of census data,” she said.
Nationally, the number of human trafficking cases filed increased by 11 percent nationwide from 2019. The number of defendants charged decreased 8 percent.
“This year, with COVID, and the court systems being closed and hampered for such a long period of time, it’s not surprising that we’re seeing a drop in conviction rates around the country, because cases just aren’t being processed,” said Roberson.
Self-reporting to law enforcement was most commonly how human trafficking cases were reported in 2020, according to the study.
The pandemic slowed enforcement efforts, but the need for intervention is growing as young people spend more time online, said Roberson.
“That’s just such a vulnerable place for recruitment and exploitation by traffickers,” she said.
“Parents and caregivers (should) be vigilant about watching what their youth is engaging in in the online world.”
The report identified common vulnerabilities in victims and cases that were prosecuted, including substance abuse dependency, immigration status, homelessness or runaway youth and language barriers.
“You can imagine that identifying that identifying victims of forced labor that are working in legal industries is that much more complicated.”
The non-profit POLARIS has a hotline to report suspected cases of human trafficking.