Trafficking expert talks with first responders
Law enforcement officials, court personnel and county first responders got an in-depth look into the world of human trafficking and child pornography Wednesday as Opal Singleton, an expert in the field, presented a training session at the county staff development center on West Cunningham Street.
Singleton told harrowing stories of trafficking and ways government officials, law enforcement and regular citizens can recognize the signs.
Singleton is contracted for human trafficking training services through the Riverside (Calif.) County Sheriff's Department and has educated tens of thousands on how predators operate and how to prevent young people from becoming victims of exploitation.
She said in California, code enforcement officers are often law enforcement's first weapon in cracking a sex trafficking ring.
Singleton said trained code enforcement officers are sent into massage parlors to conduct a code inspection but are looking for telltale signs such as condoms, microwaves, shoes underneath beds, mattresses without sheets, cheap food like ramen noodles, and other signs of sex trafficking activity.
Signs police and regular citizens can look for in determining potential victims include bruises, scratch marks, cuts, burns, strangulation or bite marks, hunger, dehydration, malnutrition, branding with known gang slogans, signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, fear, apathy, sleep deprivation, being controlled or reluctancy to speak.She said the most likely targets of pedophiles and sex traffickers are foster children, homeless youth, runaways, pregnant teens or teens who frequent websites and apps such as Kik, Snapchat, Omegle, Facebook and Instagram or engage in online gaming with chat options.Women who run the illegal massage parlors are often unrepentant when arrested, saying they provided the girls with a job and place to live.Regarding young American girls who end up in sex rings, Singleton said they are rarely kidnapped in the middle of the night and spirited away from their homes.Most meet a person online who they think is their age, form a relationship and fall in love.
Singleton said in “fantasy relationships,” older men posing as teenage boys groom a girl they find online and separate them from their family by telling them their parents don't understand them and reinforcing how lucky the girl is to have a boyfriend who does.The girl eventually agrees to meet the “boy” and is sold to a gang or sex ring, Singleton said.She said a few minutes of online searching before the seminar revealed 18 websites and apps that offered sex with young girls in Butler County.
She also pointed to arrests in Butler County of members of gangs known for human trafficking and sex traffickers who brought captive prostitutes to Cranberry Township to meet men.“So, keep an eye out,” Singleton said.She said Oscar Brown, 34, and Shelby Brown, 27, of Tulsa, recruited a 17-year-old from Akron and are accused of trafficking her in Cranberry Township.Singleton said there are two ways young women can easily be groomed: the promise of quick money or their need to feel love and acceptance.In one case, Singleton said a man posing as a woman placed a photo online of a high-end prostitute living the high life.“She said, 'You too can make this kind of money,” she said.Within a day, 200 teens contacted the “woman.” Many of them showed up at the address on the ad and had sex with a man, who secretly videotaped the acts.The man blackmailed 17 of the girls into sex trafficking, she said. Police charged the man with 61 counts from 120 victims. He was sentenced to 122 years in prison.“That's how quickly you can get innocent teenagers to engage with someone they never met with the promise of easy money,” Singleton said.Singleton's chilling stories included one of a girl who graduated with straight A's and planned to attend college in the fall on a full scholarship.She said the girl fell into a “fantasy relationship” over the internet and raised $2,000 at the behest of her remotely located “boyfriend” to buy an airline ticket to Ireland.Her parents learned of her plans two days before she was to board the plane.Singleton said she counseled the parents to offer to fly the boyfriend to their home and allow him to become part of the family, and to ask the girl questions about him, such as: What is his favorite sneaker? Does he eat meat or is he a vegetarian? How many siblings does he have? What kind of car does he drive?Singleton explained that victims faced with the knowledge they know virtually nothing about their online paramours will realize it is a sham relationship, but will almost always carry out their plans if dealt with harshly and punished by their parents.
She said human traffickers are experts at earning the trust and love of their victims, who are often treated well and showered with expensive gifts when they leave home to meet their love interest.After a short time, Singleton said, the “boyfriend” will say he needs money for rent and asks the girl to have sex with a man for $500 to help him out.In a short time, the girl will be having sex with eight to 20 men per day for the man, who will eventually sell her to a gang or trafficker for the sex trade.Women freed from the trade often deny they were prostituted by a pimp, saying they love the boyfriend and want to please him.In one case, Singleton said a 14-year-old girl who had been beaten by the pimp who she called her boyfriend refused to admit he was culpable for her wounds.“She said, 'I don't know what I was thinking. I had a $500 quota and I only made $400. Tomorrow night, I'll make 600,'” Singleton said.
Singleton said every child online is susceptible.She recommends limiting time children spend alone on electronic devices, and not buying them a cellphone without having explained sex to them.She also cautioned against the app TikTok, a mass-audience live streaming site. Users create a profile and make a 15-second video for millions to see.“All a pedophile has to do is sign up and wait,” Singleton said.She said the child will receive a message stating they could have a professional modeling or singing contract, and are given the false name of a person to contact.The pedophile will begin grooming the child and eventually attempt to lure him or her away from their parents, most likely for sale into a sex ring.She said in addition to limiting time online, parents should create confidence in their children by letting them know how important they are.“Kids need to hear, 'I believe in you,'” Singleton said.
