Pictured: Ruth Buckels, an advocate for human trafficking victims in Iowa
Nearly 75 people attended today’s (Tuesday) Lunch and Learn seminar at the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Carroll Campus focused on the prevalence of human trafficking in Iowa. Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery where victims are required by force, fraud or coercion to perform sexual acts or manual labor against their will. Ruth Buckels, an Ames DMACC professor and social worker, presented the one-hour program and told attendees it is very likely they have had at least one encounter in their lives with somebody involved in the trade, either a buyer, seller or victim. Buckels says Hollywood has created a false stereotype about the trade where a person is abducted and immediately sold. The truth actually hits much closer to him.
According to Buckels, traffickers and recruiters find a potential victim’s vulnerability. It could be medical, financial, family or reputation and they exploit that to gain control over the person. She adds that a victim often maintains contact with the people in their life.
Human trafficking affects people of all races, ages and financial statuses. In her work, Buckels has seen victims as young as three months and over 70 years. Teenagers are the most commonly targeted age group, and Buckels challenged the audience to test their students after the program to see if they knew the signs.
Buckels says the best way to stop human trafficking is to notify authorities if you believe it is taking place. Contact information to a number of agencies dedicated to stopping the practice can be found included with this story on our website.
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Ruth I.E. Buckels, LMSW
Cell: 515-460-4802
Email: rbuckels@yss.org
BeFree Hotline: 1-888-373-7888
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign
1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423)
Teens Against Human Trafficking
515-233-2250 Ext. 4575
http://www.youthstandingstrong.org/program/teens-against-human-trafficking/
