Kimerbly Weller is living her dream in more ways than one.
"I'm the lead nail tech where I work now," she said, "I have a massive support network. I was reunited with my children."
But she said ten years ago, while struggling with substance abuse, none of this seemed possible.
"And I found myself homeless, without my children. And the first night I was homeless, I met what I would call my primary trafficker because I had a few," she said.
That meeting led to her being trafficked on and off for three years—until she entered a special program run by anti-trafficking non-profit Selah Freedom and the local court system.
"TYLA stands for 'Turn Your Life Around', and it gave me an opportunity to do just that," she said.
To learn more about this solutions-based program, we sat down with the Clinical Program Director at Selah Freedom, Samantha Kolb. She said the program helps survivors who are facing trafficking-related charges start over. And often, it ends with those charges being dropped.
"The intention behind TYLA is really to deal with the core issues that led that person into the industry and then connect them to restorative services like safe housing, [and] employment opportunities," she said.
It's a program to meet a need that Major Nathaly Patterson with the St. Petersburg Police Department said is great.
"It affects all walks of life. The ages of some of these girls...kids...babies...infants. It's just something you cannot imagine would go on," she said, "A lot of times you think when you hear human trafficking, you think about cases that are overseas. [But] domestic human trafficking here is unbelievable."
The need is so great that three years ago, the department was given a federal grant to start a regional human trafficking task force.
"We have 26 law enforcement agencies and 20 NGOs and service providers," said Major Patterson.
Major Patterson added that the goal is to work cases and make contact with survivors, who can then be plugged into services.
It's one of many things she said Florida is getting "right" when it comes to tackling this issue.
And kids-focused prevention is another.
"Florida is one of the first states that's mandating human trafficking being taught in schools for grades K through 12," she said.
So how does Florida compare with other states? That's a question we set out to find out.
According to the non-profit Shared Hope International—Florida's focus on trafficking education and the protection of victims who are kids/youth is where we excel when compared to other states.
"We're looking at whether they're criminalized and whether there are laws to protect child sex trafficking victims from being criminalized as a result of their victimization," said the group's Senior Director of Public Policy, Christine Raino.
For more than a decade, the group has been rolling out "report cards" for all 50 states to gauge how they're handling child and youth sex trafficking cases.
Right now, Florida is only one of three state's in the country with a "C" grade overall. The vast majority of the country is failing.
Raino said in Florida there's room for improvement when it comes to how the state identifies victims and how it protects them from facing trafficking-related charges.
"We have the criminal justice framework and then to step back and say, 'okay, are we doing this in a survivor-centered way? So that we're accomplishing that goal of protecting survivors,'" she said.
It's a gap that advocates hope to see filled through the expansion of the TYLA court program.
"It's a very popular court in Manatee and Sarasota county. And I do think it would be really effective to spread throughout the state," said Kolb.
Addressing Misconceptions
The stakeholders we spoke to at every level of this issue said there are common misconceptions about what human trafficking is and isn't. And the first thing they wanted to address was the patterns of behavior that often lead someone to be trafficked.
"When you're out there, and you're vulnerable, you need something to cling to so somebody may offer you a meal and feed you. And they may offer to buy you some clothing," said Major Patterson, "So they're vulnerable individuals. They're not always someone that's being handcuffed and tied to a bed or something like that. All trafficking victims don't look like that."
"So one of the largest myths that I just want to roll my eyes at every time I hear it is 'Is it like "Taken?" Does someone come and get you and steal you and take you away?' No! Sometimes chains can be invisible," said Weller.
The Need for Training
Experts say many trafficking survivors don't self-identify as having been trafficked—for a number of reasons. Leaders with Selah Freedom said this fact makes it especially important for first responders, members of the criminal justice system, and others who may come in contact with a survivor to know what to look for and what questions to ask.
"Asking someone, 'Are you being trafficked?' You're probably not going to get a 'yes.' You know the questions are going to be a little different than that. And they often don't identify as being trafficked in the beginning signs of their journey."
The Signs
Anti-Human trafficking experts say survivors can come from all demographics and backgrounds. But there are a few common signs to look out for if you suspect that someone is being trafficked.
"If you encounter any individual and you're trying to have a conversation with them, and the conversation with them seems somewhat rehearsed. If you're having a conversation with someone and they're looking to the other person to give them guidance on what to say," said Major Patterson, "If the person seems fearful or timid. If a person has bruises, those are some signs that you would look for."
"I think it does differ between adults and minors. But you know [in] adults it's [that] they don't have control over their money or identification. They appear depressed or withdrawn or anxious. Unexplained details about their past or employment. Unexplained tattoos," said Kolb, "And then for minors it's actually a distinct change in behavior, you know skipping school, running away, distancing themselves from family or friends, excessive gifts that they normally wouldn't be able to afford."
Who Do I Call For Help?
If you suspect that someone is being trafficked and you are not a trained first responder or member of law enforcement, Major Patterson said you shouldn't try to intervene on your own.
Instead, there are a few numbers you can call.
If there's an emergency, call 911.
If it's not an emergency but something you want to report, call the 24/7 National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. You can also text "HELP" to their text line at 233-733.
You can also call Selah Freedom's intake hotline at 1-888-8-FREE-ME.
