After Hurricane Michael slammed into the Big Bend of Florida in 2018, STAC assisted people who were targeted by sex and labor traffickers. One trafficker pretended to have a woman’s best interest at heart when he promised her he could help fill out paperwork for FEMA and get her funds to help her after her home was destroyed. She needed help and he took advantage of her. Thankfully, advocates at the Kearney Center alerted STAC and we helped her out of that situation and to safety. STAC also worked with another person who was labor trafficked to this area after the storm. In this case, the trafficker promised him a good job hauling debris and rebuilding, but later ruthlessly exploited and trafficked him and others. STAC helped this survivor access critical medical care and assisted with his other needs like housing and legal aid. This is why it is so important to understand how traffickers descend on areas after disasters, prey on those who need help, and then lure them into sex and labor trafficking situations.
Resources for Preparing for and Responding to Human Trafficking During Disasters:
- Fact Sheets: What Disaster Responders Need to Know and What Disaster Responders Need to Do
- Fact Sheets: Human Trafficking Programming During Disasters and Emergencies
- Report: Trafficking Prevention and Disaster Response Literature Review
- Report: Human Trafficking and Disaster Response Convening
- SOAR Disaster Management: Preventing and Responding to Human Trafficking
