HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
“I was in and out of human trafficking for about 13 years,” said Stephanie Turner, a human trafficking survivor.
It started when Stephanie was 26.
“How it started was with a friend of mine or a woman who I thought was a friend, who began grooming me by buying me gifts and just helping me in a vulnerable time in my life. She then introduced me to a man who then was doing the same thing, buying me things, taking care of me. Substance abuse had started, and he eventually brought me into working in his brothel,” said Turner.
She was trafficked in different parts of Florida.
“The beginning of it was all in West Palm Beach Florida, that’s where the brothel was,” said Turner. “Different men were coming in and out of my life. Severe, severe substance abuse is part of my story."
Turner was eventually trafficked in Tampa Bay and was arrested a few times, which ended up being her saving grace.
“A judge kind of gave me like a no-choice ultimatum to go into a program, so I went into a human trafficking program and graduated,” she said.
Seven years later, Turner is thankful to that judge who saw the signs she was in trouble. While she was being trafficked, she wasn’t even aware that was what was happening.
“There was a lot of shame and guilt at first that came into that. There was a lot of thoughts of ‘Did I allow myself to have this happen? Did I put myself in the position for this to happen?’ Ultimately, I ended up not having a choice in the matter, not having anywhere to turn and just being in survival mode for a long time,” said Turner.
She has now turned her pain into purpose, working at Children’s Home Network as a peer mentor and life coach for youth suspected and verified of human trafficking in the foster care system.
“My story is tragic, it’s trauma, it’s everything, but it’s brought me to where I’m at today to be able to help the youth,” said Turner.
Children’s Home Network is an organization in Hillsborough County that helps children in foster care with profound mental challenges and trauma, including working with kids who are victims of human trafficking.
“Oh, it’s right under our nose, and we’re not even realizing it,” said Turner.
She believes human trafficking is getting worse in Tampa Bay.
“Every day, we’re seeing the numbers shoot up,” said Turner.
"It’s happening significantly in our community. And our foster kids are vulnerable to human trafficking,” said Kerri Pederson, Clinical Director of Therapeutic Foster Care for Children’s Home Network.
Predators will use social media to lure children into human trafficking.
“They’ll start talking to older men, not realizing it at first, maybe, and then the men are buying them gifts or telling them they’re going to take them here and there,” said Turner.
But victims aren’t just limited to children.
“Adults too can easily fall into that like I did,” said Turner.
She wants the community to be more aware of the warning signs someone may need help. Those include:
- Signs of branding like tattoos, which can be barcodes or names
- If someone looks ungroomed
- If someone is not making eye contact when in social situations
- Substance abuse
- If someone suddenly has a lot of money or expensive items
“You can have a trafficker who’s grooming them, befriending them, making false promises, giving them that attention that they are wanting so bad, and then next thing you know, they elope, and they’re involved in human trafficking,” said Pederson.
“Even if a youth were to send a sexually inappropriate picture to someone it could be an adult, that’s kind of the starting of the human trafficking. That’s where the grooming starts. I think there’s a lot of myths that we need to break in our community,” Pederson added.
“Everyone thinks human trafficking, you’re kidnapped, you’re shipped overseas and all the other things, and that’s not like that at all,” said Turner.
That’s why Turner has made it her life’s mission to mentor kids and raise awareness.
“It does start with the youth. You know, I’ve seen situations where their parents are pawning them off on traffickers for drug use and other things like that. People really just don’t know that it could be your neighbor. It could be somebody high up that you think would never do anything like that. It’s just happening all over,” said Turner
“I can use my story to help these kiddos. Watching them in the foster care system from where they came in, to where they are today... it’s the best experience,” she added.
Children’s Home Network is also looking for more people who are willing to become foster homes and safe places for child survivors.
To learn more, email letsfoster@childrenshomenetwork.org
“I would just like the public to know that this is an issue in our community and that human trafficking with youth happens. So if the community wants to help by fostering, they can send an email to get additional information,” said Pederson.
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