Human trafficking panel draws a crowd in Marshalltown

MARSHALLTOWN — More than 150 people filled a conference room in the Marshalltown Public Library Thursday night to hear from a panel of experts on human trafficking, all who agreed on one common theme — it can happen anywhere to anyone.

Capt. Curt Henderson with the Iowa State Patrol categorized himself among the 75 percent of law enforcement who didn’t feel human trafficking was a problem just a few years ago. It wasn’t until he was exposed to training on the topic that he realized it.

“I had victims of human trafficking in my patrol car, and I didn’t even know what I was dealing with,” Henderson said.

Since that time, he’s become an advocate for trafficking victims and has dedicated himself to teaching other law enforcement officers how to detect the crime.

Teresa Downing, the executive director of Network Against Human Trafficking, said she is still hopeful SF 497 could be supported in the Iowa House. The bill would assure all law enforcement agents in Iowa are better trained to identify human trafficking and would supply critical funding to those who are rescued from the networks, she said. Further, it would mean funding to train county attorneys how to prosecute the crime.

Downing said during the course of her work she discovered traffickers were hiring middle school and high school students to identify vulnerable peers in order to have them enter the trafficking network.

Joy Fopma is the development director at Wings of Refuge, a Hardin County-based organizations that provides services to survivors of human trafficking.

“Tonight will be meaningful because you are going to become aware and you are going to be able to take action,” Fopma said.

The panel, which also included representatives from the FBI and an assault care center, agreed victims tend to be those who are vulnerable — low self-esteem, down on their luck or runaways. Others, however, are trafficked from their own homes or are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

FBI Victim Specialist Karen Gale said every one of the victims she’s worked with in Iowa has been a white female between the age of 12-16.

“You can’t pinpoint what a victim looks like,” Gale said. “It can happen to anyone at anytime. We need to educate ourselves and others on this.”

Gale said problem with sex trafficking lies with supply and demand and a culture that says it’s OK for men to pay for sex.

Once victims are in the networks, choice is no longer an option.

“Victims aren’t allowed to make decisions themselves,” Gale said. “The reality is they don’t have a choice. Either behave or there will be some horrific retribution ... which could include torture.”

Henderson said events that draw large crowds are utilized by traffickers to find more young women to sell. The Iowa State Fair creates the strongest risk, he said, and was the site of one of the first multi-agency operations addressing human trafficking. He also mentioned both the Drake Relays and races at the Iowa Speedway as other crowd-drawing events that increase the potential for the crime.

“Traffickers pay attention to these things,” Henderson said.

Marshalltown’s LASTwatch group sponsored the event, which stemmed from the same place Jasper County’s human trafficking committee did — the Catholic Church.

Newton’s Linda Pierce, who attended the event with other committee members Lori Ward and Judy Manusos, said the panel was excellent.

“I was impressed with how far (LASTwatch) has come in a short time with the support of the community,” Pierce said.

Laura McIntosh, of LASTwatch, said she and about 20 others have established the group after previously operating from St. Mary and St. Henry Catholic church’s social justice committees.

Held during National Police Week, the event was moderated by Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper.

Henderson said the most important message of the evening was for the call for citizens to take action.

“If you see something, say something,” Henderson said. “Look for the absence of normal.”

Contact Abigail Pelzer at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or apelzer@newtondailynews.com