Lurking below the surface

A program next month in Hartley promises to open the eyes of local residents to the dangers of human and sex trafficking in northwest Iowa.

Iowa State Patrol Troopers Paul Gardner and Kevin Krull will share information on the illicit underground trade June 3 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Hartley. The program will focus on statistics, indicators, court cases, prevention, common myths surrounding human trafficking and age groups that are susceptible to being victimized.

"Our hope is that those in attendance will be better educated on what to watch for when dealing with suspicious activity," Gardner said.

Gardner explained human and sex trafficking are essentially the same, where young children are often used in drug and prostitution rings and sold for services. People often confuse trafficking with smuggling, as smuggling is more immigration-related and is defined as the practice of bringing in large numbers of people into the U.S. illegally.

The state trooper noted human and sex trafficking are more prevalent in Iowa than most residents realize because the Hawkeye State sits in between major metro areas like Minneapolis, Chicago and Omaha, and it also has several major highways that cross the state.

"While many traffickers use the interstate system to facilitate their trade, there are many cases that arise in rural Iowa, which we will discuss," Gardner said. "We will cover some cases that have happened in rural Iowa and may surprise those with 'small town' notions of how close to home many of these incidents occur."

Curbing the human and sex trafficking trade is an ever-evolving effort. The Iowa Department of Public Safety gives training sessions to troopers and special agents on what to watch out for, such as behaviors, indicators and trends. Additionally, Gardner said there are also efforts by the Iowa Department of Public Safety to train people in the trucking and hotel industries about areas where human trafficking is more frequent.

The program will be held on Thursday, June 3 from 5-7 p.m., with a question-and-answer session to follow. It is geared for people ages 13 and older.

"This is a really good opportunity for those who want to know more about this as it unfortunately is a growing trend across the United States," said Gardner. "We're looking forward to this opportunity to educate those in northwest Iowa on this topic."