Stark Reminder About The Threat of Human Trafficking

The Light Up The Night event at the Shops at Wiregrass concluded with a candlelight

It seemed fitting that a classic Florida sunset — vibrant slashes of pink, purple and orange — marked the beginning of Light Up The Night, an annual event created to raise education and awareness about human trafficking,

The free event, held right around sunset on Feb. 1 on the upper level parking garage at The Shops at Wiregrass by the Pasco County-based Human Trafficking Foundation (HTF), featured musical performances, local vendors, refreshments, activities for children and teenagers, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Mounted Posse on horseback.

Also appearing were survivors of human trafficking, including Edie Rhea, who told those in attendance that she was sexually abused and trafficked from age 8-17 by her mother’s boyfriend, after he convinced her mother to move to Tampa from their hometown of Baltimore, MD. 

“Moving us was very smart on his part, because it got us completely away from all our friends and family,” said Rhea, 51, who now lives in North Tampa and serves as Executive Director of Healing Root Ministry, a faith-based nonprofit that assists female trafficking victims over the age of 18 with housing, life skills training and obtaining GEDs.

Rhea, who at age 12 was impregnated and then forced into having an abortion by a man who had purchased her, found herself on the street at 17 with no education or basic skills after her mother had kicked out her and her trafficker.

She met up with a man named David, who used to buy drugs from her mother, and the two began a relationship. 

Today, 34 years later, they are happily married with five children, three adults and two under the age of ten they recently adopted.

“When we were first married, I had lots of affairs, because I really believed that every time a man spoke to me, I had to have sex with him,” said Rhea. 

A few years ago, Rhea met up with her former trafficker. They prayed together and she said she forgave him. Weeks later, he passed away, and the experience inspired Rhea to form Healing Root Ministry, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, faith-based organization that provides shelter for those who were once enslaved, as well as “hope, help and healing,” according to its mission statement.H

Several organizations, including Healing Root, received beneficiary funds from HTF at the event.

“The whole idea of Light Up The Night was simply that this is such a dark crime,” said Cpl. Alan Wilkett, HTF chairman and commander of the Pasco County Human Trafficking Task Force. 

“This criminal activity is probably the darkest crime that I’ve ever investigated,” said Wilkett, 58, who has been in law enforcement for 27 years, “and I’ve had the opportunity to investigate just about everything you can imagine.”

Wilkett described human trafficking as a “relatively young crime,” pointing out that there was no official charge against it for victims like Rhea until the year 2000, when Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. 

“Some of the cases we’ve seen over the years, and especially having children myself, have been very impactful on me,” Cpl. Wilkett said. “It’s a broad, encompassing crime that directly affects the fabric of who we are.”

Cpl. Alan Wilkett, HTF chairman and commander of the Pasco County Human Trafficking Task Force, with human trafficking victim Edie Rhea.

Indeed, said both Wilkett and Rhea, human trafficking is a much more widespread issue today then ever before. 

According to HTF, it is the second-largest criminal enterprise in the world, behind drug trafficking, with an estimated 40.3 million current victims worldwide. 

Between 15,000-18,000 are trafficked annually into the U.S. alone, and Florida currently ranks third in the nation for calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

The Tampa Bay area, says the foundation, is usually in the top three cities in the state for trafficking.

In 2017, Pasco County became the first “Trafficking-Free Zone” in the country. This distinction, given by the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking, intends to send a message to traffickers that they are being watched, thereby reducing the demand for their victims.

“A lot of people believe that this only happens overseas, but it’s also happening here, now, in our own backyard,” said Rhea, who spends 65 hours every week running Healing Root pro-bono.

Even as the temperature dropped into the low 50s with chilly winds at the event at the Shops, attendees talked with vendors, pledged donations, and enjoyed hot cocoa, popcorn and cotton candy to the backdrop of performances from the Northwest Community Church band and Vessels 360, a Christian-based dance team from Hernando High.

Vessels 360 performed a visceral interpretation of human trafficking, prompting tears from many in the audience, before Cpl. Wilkett handed out checks ranging from $2,000-$5,000 to various organizations who help trafficking victims.

The evening came to a close with a candlelight vigil (photo on previous page) led by Cpl. Wilkett, honoring survivors and offering prayers for current victims. Those without their own battery-operated votive candles thrust their phones in the air, having downloaded candle apps for the occasion.

“”The strongest thing you can do against hate is bring love,” said Cpl. Wilkett as attendees circled the stage. “And the strongest thing you can do against darkness is bring in the light.”

For more information about Light Up The Night or to donate or volunteer, go to HTFoundation.us. For more information about Healing Root Ministry, go to HealingMinistry.com. If you suspect human trafficking or are or have been a victim yourself, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888.

PCSO Corporal Alan Wilkett Awarded For Fighting Human Trafficking

Corporal Alan Wilkett, of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and the Pasco County Human Trafficking Task Force, is presented an award from Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for “Law Enforcement Official of the Year” at the 2017 Human Trafficking Summit in Orlando.

Most days, you’ll find Corporal Alan Wilkett at the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) community office at the Shops at Wiregrass mall.

Cpl. Wilkett wears many hats, including that of the commander of the Pasco County Human Trafficking Task Force.

For his work on the task force, Wilkett was recently recognized as the “Law Enforcement Official of the Year” at the 2017 Human Trafficking Summit, held in Orlando on October 2. The summit was hosted by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office. She presented the award to Wilkett, along with awards for “Survivor Advocate of the Year,” “Community Advocate of the Year,” and “Prosecutor of the Year.”

“The award was given to one, but it was earned by many,” says Wilkett. “I didn’t earn it on my own. It’s a team effort by a lot of people, all who are as passionate as I am about ending human trafficking in our area, in Pasco County, in Florida and in the United States.”

Wilkett explains that working to eradicate human trafficking has been part of his job for about seven years. As efforts and awareness of trafficking have increased, he said he’s found that he’s spending more and more time fighting this heinous crime.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work in law enforcement for 20-plus years,” Wilkett says, explaining that he’s investigated all kinds of crimes, including child abuse. “In the course of investigating complaints, we would stumble across things that now we would know as human trafficking. At the time, we didn’t really understand that we had something so comprehensive. When the Trafficking Victims Protection Act became law in 2000, I looked back over my career and saw opportunities to have made a much bigger impact in the lives of people who were affected by this crime. That’s when I became very passionate about ending human trafficking.”

He adds that people often think of human trafficking as a prostitute and a pimp, or a laborer and a boss, but it’s much more than that.

He says it’s a huge business. Using the lowest number that is agreed upon, from the International Labor Organization, estimates are that human trafficking is a $150-billion-per-year business with 20.9-million victims. The United Nations says 27 million victims.

“It’s abhorrent that in the U.S. — the land of the free, home of the brave — that we would have this modern day slavery in our communities. We’re going to end this. I don’t know that we’ll end it in my career, but I can sow the seeds.”

In Wesley Chapel, Though?

You might think it’s limited to the seedier parts of the Tampa Bay area. But, is the human trafficking going on in Wesley Chapel?

Cpl. Wilkett says yes.

“It’s so entrenched in our fabric, it’s in every single community,” he says. “It could be the landscaping guy cutting the grass in a gated community, the construction crew on a new business, going on right in our own shadows. It could be a gated community in Wesley Chapel where girls are being kept during the day and then going to the street at night. We’ve seen examples of all of these things.”

He says he’s seen a “groundswell” in Pasco County, where people are saying, “It can’t happen in our community, in Wesley Chapel, in our country.”

And, Wilkett says there are ways everyone can get involved to end human trafficking.

“If you’re a member of a group – any group – ask that group if they would consider having a presentation,” he says. “We’ll talk about what it is, what to look for, and how to stop it.” Your group could also hold a collection drive to gather toiletries, shoes or clothes to support the organizations that help victims of this horrific crime to recover.

He says that once you know the signs, behaviors, and indicators, “you can be (our) eyes and ears out in the community.” He says don’t take direct action, but call 9-1-1 or the Human Trafficking hotline at (888) 373-7888.

Also, January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Mark your calendar now and plan to attend “Light Up The Night” at the Shops of Wiregrass on Saturday, January 20. Search “Light Up The Night Wiregrass” on Facebook for more information.

For more info, visit PascoSheriff.com/human-trafficking, or to schedule Cpl. Wilkett as a speaker on Human Trafficking, email a PCSO customer service specialist at css@pascosheriff.org.

Local Volunteers Walking For Freedom

a21walkwebThe average age of a victim of human trafficking is just 12 years old. Only 1-2 percent of victims are ever rescued. Worldwide, an estimated 27 million people are currently in bondage.

These shocking statistics are according to A21, an organization that gets its name from its mission, which is, “Abolishing injustice in the 21st century.”

A group of local volunteers is supporting this organization and its mission by participating in A21’s annual “Walk For Freedom” with an event in Wesley Chapel on Saturday, October 15, 9 a.m., beginning at the Shops at Wiregrass mall.

“A lot of people aren’t aware that human trafficking is in our own neighborhoods and communities,” says event organizer Rachel Martinez. “We are hosting this walk to bring awareness to this issue.”

Rachel is a Wesley Chapel resident who participated in the walk last year, along with her family and about 100 others. She’s hoping that this year, even more will participate, so that many people throughout our community will see the line of walkers, dressed in black, as silent ambassadors for a cause they want others to care about, too.

“This year, the sidewalks are complete, so we can walk west along S.R. 56,” Rachel says. “We want people to see us in our shirts as we walk all the way to I-75.”

She also says that local churches have supported the walk by paying for necessary permits, and fund-raising efforts cover costs for items such as bottled water for the walkers. There’s no cost for participants to attend, although they are encouraged to purchase an official A21 Walk For Freedom T-shirt from the website A21.org.

Rachel became interested in supporting the mission of A21 when she heard the founder of the organization, Christine Caine, speak at an event at her church. Caine is a Bible teacher, activist, and evangelist from Hillsong Church, an Australian megachurch.

“Her story and her passion really hit home for me,” says Rachel, who adds that in her job handling statewide permitting for a construction company, she’s often on websites for various municipalities, and she’s struck by how often those local governments have task forces and resources dedicated to fighting human trafficking.

For example, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) has information on its website (PascoSheriff.com) that underscores Rachel’s concerns. The PCSO website says that human trafficking is an industry worth billions of dollars, and is one of the largest criminal enterprises in the world, second only to the illegal drug trade. And, there are more people held in slavery in the world today, than at any other time in human history.

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center ranked Florida third among all states in the U.S. in the number of calls received by the center’s human trafficking hotline in 2015, as it has in past years, and many of those calls were from the Tampa Bay area.

“It’s big, big money, but maybe by bringing awareness to this issue, we can nip it in the bud,” Rachel says. “Maybe kids will learn something that will keep them safe from an unfortunate situation.”

To register to participate in the walk, visit A21.org/WesleyChapel or email FL4Freedom@hotmail.com.

'Martial Arts For Life' takes aim at trafficking

MartialWEB1By GARY NAGER

It seems you never really know what effect an event is going to have on you until you actually attend it.

A case in point — I was really only going to the “80s Flashback Bingo” event, sponsored by CORE Spine & Rehabilitation Center, LLC, to support Wesley Chapel Noon Rotary Club president-elect (and CORE owner) and chiropractor Pablo Rivera, DC, and his wife Christine in their efforts to help the “Martial Arts for Life’ Foundation, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization started by Sensei Ernesto Fuentes of the Keiko Shin Karate dojo at 3753 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. here in Wesley Chapel.

The thing I didn’t know until I went to the fun event, which was attended by more than 50 people and raised nearly $2,000 for the Foundation, was the effect Fuentes and his cause would have on me.

MartialWEB2The Riveras have had their children trained in karate by Fuentes, who said that he moved his family from his native Venezuela a few years ago because his daughter was targeted by human traffickers and he was told by law enforcement officials that the only way “to prevent her from being taken was to take her out of the country.”

Fuentes and his family escaped to Miami but ultimately settled in Wesley Chapel. During the ‘80s-themed event, he made an obviously emotional presentation about human trafficking — including mentioning that Florida has the third highest number of children being trafficked in the U.S. and that the Tampa Bay area is unfortunately the leading location for trafficking in the Sunshine State, where the average age of the victims is only 12.

“Trafficking is a huge business,” said Fuentes, who also recently added training the children at the Everyday Blessings foster home in Thonotosassa, which specializes in caring for siblings at their location. “It is up to us to do something about it.”

For info about Keiko Shin Karate, call 994-9253. For CORE Spine & Rehabilitation (5900 Argerian Dr., Suite 101), call 373-5317 or visit Facebook.com/CoreSpine. — GN