Human trafficking victims alive, still unidentified in Nashville

According to an expert with the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services (HHS), there are more victims of human trafficking and sex slavery in Nashville than local and even federal authorities are aware of.

But because trafficking victims are “brainwashed” into believing they will be subject to even worse abuse at the hands of U.S. authorities who will treat them like criminals, the majority of trafficking victims continue to deny they are being held against their will even after they are discovered and their captors are arrested.

“Trafficking victims do not come forward on their own,” said Martha Newton, the director of HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which outside of the U.S. State Department is the country’s highest office dealing directly with the victims of human trafficking for sex or labor slavery.

Even though multiple brothels in Nashville with prostitutes that are exclusively foreign nationals of Latin American countries have been the target of a statewide FBI investigation into possible sex slavery at the hands of an indicted Mexican national have yet to produce any new, confirmed cases of human trafficking, Newton said she is sure the cases are there nonetheless.

“Having already spoken with local law enforcement, we know there are cases,” Newton said. “And we have certified a handful of victims of human trafficking in Nashville and in other parts of Tennessee, but we know there are more victims in Nashville than we are certifying.”

That is why Newton and other federal officials are traveling to Nashville next week to announce that Nashville will be the home of the latest and 19th “Rescue and Restore Victims of Human Trafficking” coalition. The coalitions are operations put together by HHS to arm local agencies with the tools necessary to help identify trafficking and slavery victims.

“Ultimately we’d love to make Nashville a place where traffickers are not welcome,” Newton said. “We have more than 30 organizations who can assist with identifying human trafficking in the Nashville area that will be coming together that day, including law enforcement, ethnic and faith-based groups and heath care and social service providers.”

“And we’ll work toward the goal of increasing the number of victims identified, and we’ll assist that effort by providing resources, training and ongoing support to organizations and individuals who are most likely to come into contact with victims,” she added.

Newton said HHS, the U.S. State Department and the local FBI office are already aware that human trafficking victims have been brought and forced to work in Nashville. But all those agencies are also unaware of just how big the problem is, she said.

“Human trafficking is a hidden crime and it’s difficult to pinpoint the precise numbers of victims in any region or state,” she said. “But wherever there’s a transportation corridor — and you’ve got three major interstates all running through Nashville — that often contributes to the ability of the traffickers.”

Newton on Tuesday will join U.S. Attorney Craig Morford, as well as Amber Beckham, the coordinator for Network of Emergency Trafficking Services, World Relief and Natalie Grant, the founder of Home Foundation and country music artist, to announce the formation of the coalition.

In addition, Ambassador Mark Lagon, who in his capacity as director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons with the State Department is the senior advisor on human trafficking to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, will attend the 10 a.m. press conference at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville.