Each year, on February 8, the Catholic Church around the world marks the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking. The theme chosen for this year is “Journeying in Dignity,” through which the faithful are called to recognize the processes that lead to exploitation and discover the daily paths of those in search of freedom and dignity. They will be promoting anti-trafficking actions, and building a culture of encounter.

The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Union of Superiors General has designated the day as an annual day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking. February 8 is the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, who was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery in Sudan and trafficked to Italy.

Once Josephine was freed, she dedicated her life to sharing her testament of deliverance from slavery and comforting the poor and suffering. She became a member of the Canossian Daughters of Charity. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

On February 8, people all over the world are encouraged to host or attend prayer services to create greater awareness about this phenomenon. Through prayer, people can reflect on the experiences of those who have suffered through this affront to human dignity, but also comfort, strengthen, and help empower survivors.

During an interview on January 22, 2024, Black Hawk Chief of Police Michelle Moriarty answered some questions about human trafficking.

First of all, human trafficking is a severe form of exploitation for labor (including sex) involving force, fraud, or coercion, according to https://combathumantrafficking.org/about-human-trafficking/.

Moriarty said anyone can be the victim of human trafficking. “More times than not, it is someone who is not a stranger; they are actually somebody they know.”

Sadly, human trafficking can often be within families and intertwines with family violence.

Moriarty shared that this is a cause near and dear to her heart. She applied for a grant back in 2020 and received it in 2022 to start training classes in the area. The next class will be sometime in April and she will be inviting multiple agencies to participate, like law enforcement, the Gilpin Ambulance Authority, the fire departments, etc.

“I want victims to reach out for help,” she said, noting that the more agencies are educated, the better.

She said the casinos make a prime area for human trafficking and she wants to stay proactive by promoting education.

Moriarty’s goal is to educate the casinos, police employees, first responders, and city workers to identify the signs and symptoms of human trafficking. She has connected with a group, Laboring to Combat Human Trafficking, to help with the cause.

Signs could include someone being overly controlling, controlling identification cards, renting rooms where people are going in and out for several days, individuals without luggage, etc.

Moriarty has been working with the casinos to do scenario-based training. Putting posters on the back of restroom stalls and offering a victim hotline are just a few of the ways Moriarty is promoting education.

When asked if there have been any cases of human trafficking in Gilpin, Moriarty responded, “We had a couple cases that we got tips about. They ended up being bigger cases so we got the federal task force involved and they took over.”

Through education and promotion, the City of Black Hawk has acquired a lot more resources and direct connections for outreach.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and the Chief has been working for two years to increase awareness in the Peak to Peak area.

Moriarty said the bigger task forces have databases on individuals and if names keep popping up they can create connections, though false documents like fake IDs and passports can impede this process.

According to Moriarty, the future of preventing human trafficking in Black Hawk is to continue to educate, understand, and promote prevention. The key is to stay vigilant by looking for red flags.

During an interview on January 23, Gilpin County Sheriff Kevin Armstrong shared that there is a significant risk of human trafficking in Gilpin County.

“I see a pretty good risk in the sense that we have gaming. Anytime you have money, alcohol, drugs, you are going to have some type of potential prostitution, and when you have prostitution you have the human trafficking element,” Armstrong said.

He shared that although he personally has not come across any cases of human trafficking, his investigators have looked into some cases and continue to do so.

He said that Chief Moriarty has done a great job in educating the casinos and providing information on what to look for.

When asked who would respond to a case of human trafficking, Armstrong said that the County’s investigators and the Sheriff’s Department would be at the forefront by working with the FBI and the Polaris Project.

According to the Polaris Project’s website, “Named after the North Star, an historical symbol of freedom, Polaris is leading a survivor-centered, justice- and equity-driven movement to end human trafficking. Since 2007, Polaris has operated the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, connecting victims and survivors to support and services, and helping communities hold traffickers accountable. Through that work, Polaris has built the largest known dataset on human trafficking in North America.”

Armstrong expressed compassion for the victims and said the work of saving the victim does not stop with an arrest, but would continue with therapy to treat the psychological damage.

He believes that social media plays a huge role in how traffickers target and solicit their victims. Many victims are reported missing or deemed runaways.

Armstrong shared these statistics:

• 70% of trafficking victims are female

• 3.8 million people in the United States have been trafficked

• 1 million of those trafficked in the US have been children

When asked what the neighboring counties have in place to deal with human trafficking, Armstrong responded that Jefferson County has a specific unit for human trafficking with ample resources and personnel.

Armstrong stressed that this is a systemic problem that everybody needs to be aware of. “As a group, we need to be protecting these people. It takes a community to help fix the problem. Law enforcement only has a certain number of eyes so we count on our community to help us, especially with human trafficking.”

He asks that you report any suspicious activities to the Sheriff’s Department by calling 303-582-5500. More information on how to help with human trafficking can be found on these governmental websites: https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/ share-resources and https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking/resources. To participate in the International Day of Prayer, visit https://preghieracontrotratta.org.