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SALT LAKE CITY — Threats that escalated in both severity and frequency have prompted Utah's lead organization that coordinates assistance to human trafficking victims to cease services to any future clients.
Threats cause safety concerns for groups
Jocelyn Romano, executive director of the Utah Health & Human Rights Project, said the decision to stop offering those services to new clients was made last week after a series of threats led to concerns of personal safety for staff.
Victims now being helped in the program will be transitioned to other providers over the next six to eight months. She said the group wants to continue to help victims by consulting with other providers to set up a program where law enforcement takes more of an active role.
The Salt Lake Police Department is investigating the threats, which Romano said were "generalized and non-specific … but still they had to be taken seriously. As they were continuing, they were increasing in frequency and we had to make the incredibly difficult decision to stop providing those services at this time."
- 600,000 to 820,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders
- About 80 percent are women and girls
- Up to 50 percent are minors.
Romano declined to reveal any specifics about the threats, stressing they are part of an active criminal investigations
Project will continue
As the executive director of Child Rescue, Jacque Baumer and her group have worked closely with trafficking survivors at UHHR. She sees this situation as a setback for Utah's leading anti-human trafficking agency.
"Now there are going to be victims who won't be offered services and victims who have been offered services that aren't going to receive the in-depth knowledgeable services that they really need to recover from this," she said.
Baumer says this only means one thing for those still in the fight: "We just now need to give them the resources and the energy and the community attention they need. With that will come greater protection for the victims, greater protection for the caseworkers and the other things that they need to make these programs work"
Last summer, KSL spoke exclusively with trafficking survivor Amanda Bonella. She and other victim advocates say agencies like UHHR, are crucial.
"You need such an intense motivation to do what it takes to get out, because it's really, really hard," she said.
"Once a victim comes out, they literally have to be rewired to face society and to live a healthy and fulfilling life," said Brad Manuel, the founder of advocate group Operation 61.
Romano emphasized that the project will not abandon its core mission of helping victims of war, torture and other severe human rights abuses to overcome their history and become self-sufficient.
In 2006, the organization took on helping victims of human trafficking — which presented a new dynamic to overcome.
"With human trafficking, it is an active crime situation, not a crime that occurred years ago. The perpetrators may be right here."
Romano said that presents problems because the very nature of the project's mission is to operate with transparency to shed light on what has happened to people who suffered from torture or other abuses.
With human trafficking, it is an active crime situation, not a crime that occurred years ago. The perpetrators may be right here.
–Jocelyn Romano, Utah Health & Human Rights Project
"We are a vulnerable agency not set up in a secure and private location," such as domestic violence shelters, which often operate out of nondescript buildings with no markings as a way to shield their victims.
Group hopes law enforcement will take on role
Since the project began working with human trafficking victims — serving more than 200 people — it has had to take on a victim advocacy role Romano says is better suited for law enforcement.
In those instances, rape victim advocates or those assigned to be front-line help for domestic violence victims typically are employees of police departments also trained to respond to volatile situations.
Romano said that in the months to come it would be ideal if the project could work with other providers such as social services agencies, police and those offering legal help to come up with more suitable model to help victims.
"We'd like to design a program in conjunction with law enforcement going forward," she said. "Because of the very complex and violent nature of these crimes, that model of having that victim services provider in law enforcement has been successful in other states."
A human trafficking task force was established in Utah several years ago, drawing on membership from multiple local law enforcement departments and federal agencies including the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It is headed up under the auspices of the U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah, which spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch said will continue to shepherd cases.
"Victims of human trafficking will continue to be served, and we are confident there will be no break in services," Rydalch said. "Having said that, (the project) has done some outstanding work and we are sorry they cannot participate."
Romano said the project has identified and served both U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants who have been subjected to the sex trade, agricultural and labor trade or put into domestic servitude. There have also been cases involving mail-order child brides. Trafficking victims have been men, women and children, Romano said, and entire families have been rescued.
"The victims become beholden to their captors, who threaten them to keep them in control or threaten to harm their families," she said. "They rely on a tremendous amount of fear and intimidation to retain control."
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Story written by Amy Joi O'Donoghue and Nkoyo Iyamba.
