PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Pasco County sheriff’s deputies, code enforcement officers and building inspectors entered three adult businesses on Monday.
Their goal is to look for signs of human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is a scourge on our world, with 20.9 million victims, according to the international labor organization, and certainly a problem within the United States,” said Corporal Alan Wilkett with the Pasco County Sheriff’s office.
The Human Trafficking task force is also looking to make sure signs to deter human trafficking are posted in adult-oriented businesses, as required by law.
“We have also included an additional signage that was developed with consultation with an actual victim of human trafficking. That’s a plain language sign and it deals with language that is probably more understood in the industry itself, and that’s required to go in the female dressing room and the bathroom stalls,” said Wilkett.
The signs are in English, Spanish and mandarin Chinese.
The wording on the sign offers victims a way out, if they have been forced into a lifestyle they do not choose.
Wilkett says victims rarely seek help on their own; instead the task force relies on tips from others.
Task force members found minor violations in the businesses they entered on Monday.
One strip club had a shipping container in the back of the building that dancers were using as a changing room. The shipping container has only one door and no other way out in case of fire.
The owner of the building was cited and offered to correct the problem.
The task force says they will return to make sure all violations are corrected.
Human Trafficking Heat map
This map reflect cases in which the location of the potential trafficking was known. Some cases may involve more than one location and are not reflected in this map.
Important Note: The data displayed in this graphic was generated based on information communicated to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline via phone, email, and online tip report. The NHTRC cannot verify the accuracy of the information reported. This is not a comprehensive report on the scale or scope of human trafficking within the state. These statistics may be subject to change as new information emerges.
