Kentucky Traffic: What a Trip to Thurby Taught Me About Human Trafficking
In 2017, I had box seats at Thurby. For those unfamiliar, Thurby takes place at Churchill Downs on the Thursday of Derby week. It’s a time for all of us locals to enjoy a Derby atmosphere before all of the out-of-towners flock in for the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby events that Friday and Saturday. Despite the mint juleps, floral prints, and seersucker patterns around me, my colleagues and I noticed a peculiar sight two boxes over. There sat a middle-aged man clad in an orange blazer, yellow slacks, and a white fedora. Flanking him were three women donning the typical Derby attire. Three small details of this seemingly normal scene raised concern.
First, these women never once strayed from this man’s side; not for the restroom, the betting window, nor the drink line. Secondly, none of these women carried purses and thus, were missing common personal effects such as identification, money, and cellphones. Lastly, while Thurby is a festive event full of good times and celebration, the mood in this particular box was the opposite, with the women sporting a vacant and emotionless expression, commonly referred to as, “dead eyes.”
Although we were uncertain of exactly what these red flags meant at the time, we knew something was askew. Through research years later, I was finally able to understand that the behavior exhibited that day is common in victims of human trafficking.
Kentucky Traffic
One of the barriers to bystander intervention is uncertainty of the situation. Thus, in order to properly respond to trafficking situations, we must be able to understand exactly what trafficking looks like. While movies like 2008’s Taken comes to mind, local experts say trafficking looks different in Kentucky. “One misconception about trafficking victims is that they are chained up in a basement somewhere”, says Soha Saiyed, a Louisville attorney and founder of Stop Traffic Kentucky, which provides education and raises money for victims of trafficking in Kentucky. “Sometimes victims are returning to their homes every night but are still being sold for sex or labor in their community”, she continues. Soha also notes the connection between trafficking and Kentucky’s Opioid crisis. “Data collected by the Cabinet of Health and Family services shows that in larger cities like Lexington and Louisville, trafficking tends to be coordinated by a pimp or organized gangs”, she says. “In the rural parts of the state however, trafficking is often a form of currency in the opioid crisis. If mom or dad has a drug problem, they can’t pay off their debt, and they have a child they can trade for a couple of hours, that becomes a way for them to fuel their habit.”
Understanding the misconceptions about trafficking in Kentucky is equally important in maintaining focus on actual issues. Amy Nace-DeGonda is a 12-year anti-trafficking professional and serves as the assistant program director for Catholic Charities of Louisville’s Bakhita Empowerment Initiative, which provides direct services to survivors of trafficking. “People put a lot of emphasis on big events like Derby or the Farm Machinery show, but there is nowhere in the data that actually specifies that trafficking increases at those events”, says Amy. “A University of Louisville study revealed that the promotion of commercial sex in places like Back Page increases during big events, but there is nowhere in the data to show that it’s trafficking.”
(While I was unable to locate the specific study from the University of Louisville, other research such a 2016 study from the Carnegie Mellon University’s Auton Lab, echoes the conclusion that the promotion of commercial sex increases during large events.)
Traffic Signs
Identifying the warning signs common with victims is key to overcoming the barrier of uncertainty. While a person’s lack of personal effects, inability or fear of social interaction, and mood not matching their surroundings are all indicators, Soha points out other potential red flags. “Carrying hotel key cards to multiple hotel rooms at a time is an indicator someone may pick up on if they are engaged with a potential victim”, says Soha. “The regular use of words and phrases associated with the commercial sex industry, like ‘living the life or being in the business’, could also be an alarm”, she says.
Amy also points to warning signs that serve as the overall foundation of the trafficking problem. “When we are talking about root causes, we’re talking about homelessness, racial inequity, poverty; things that make people vulnerable that traffickers are using to exploit”, she says. “The community at large wants to eradicate trafficking, but you are not going to end anything until you are addressing what is the root cause of it happening.”
Roads to Resources
The National Human Trafficking Hotline has the distinction of being a key intervention resource in suspected trafficking situations. “The hotline already has connections throughout Kentucky to professionals trained in anti-trafficking and also keeps data that can uncover localized patterns,” Soha says. Amy also recommends utilizing the hotline rather than engaging in direct intervention. “Don’t ever approach someone you suspect of being trafficked because A) they may not be being trafficked, B) you may be putting yourself in danger or C) you may be putting them in greater danger if they are in fact a victim”, she says. Instead, she stresses the utilization of the hotline, who can dispatch the appropriate professionals to a suspected situation.
Beyond reporting, bystander intervention to trafficking must also include working to disrupt poverty, homelessness, and racial inequity from an advocacy standpoint. As Amy says, “if you really want to help, you must focus on the root of the problem. Because if we don’t attack trafficking at its root, then it will never go away.”
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, you can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1–888–373–7888
