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“Before, it seemed distant from us. Tuesday night, I learned it’s not.” — Mike Stapleton, Marco Island Knights of Columbus officer.

Late Tuesday, the Knights of Columbus and the Council of Catholic Women gathered together at San Marco Catholic Church to find out how to prevent and recognize warning signs of the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, human trafficking.

Guest speaker, Anna Rodriguez, founder and CEO of Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking came to the island to inform members of this community that “underground slavery” is not just a crime heard about on national news. Human trafficking victims have been found right here in Collier County.

According to Rodriguez, the citizens of Marco Island need to take a seriously look at this problem on a local level.

“Anywhere with hotels, human trafficking is a problem,” Rodriguez begins.

“The majority of victims that we find are working as housekeepers. The hotels don’t realize it because a lot of them sub-contract with agencies that are bringing in employees from overseas. So the hotels are paying the agencies, but the agencies are exploiting them,” explains Rodriguez.

Oftentimes, victims are recruited from other countries to work as a Nanny, in a restaurant kitchen or, in a nail salon.

“For example, if you’re having your nails done and you’re trying to talk to the person doing the job and they won’t make eye contact. They are always looking down. This is a potential scenario,” says Rodriguez.

HARMONY OSWALD / Eagle staff

Mike Stapleton, Marco Island Knights of Columbus officer, listens closely as Anna Rodriguez, founder and CEO of the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking shares stories of “underground slavery” happening right here in Collier County. Rodriguez gave locals advice on how to recognize the warning signs of potential victims of human trafficking.

Florida currently ranks as number two in the country regarding incidents of human trafficking. California tops the charts by a slim margin, but with the number of cases growing in the Sunshine State, it appears likely that without education and help from the public as a whole, Florida may soon replace California.

Victims are either brought across the border or into the U.S. by visa, but are not free to go once they arrive. Criminal activities often involve exploitation, torture, gang rape, paychecks being stripped away or harsh threats being made. Victims may be told that if they alert authorities, their family back home will die. It seems, there is no escape.

“There was a lady from Central America. She had a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She was hired in El Salvador,” Rodriguez recalls. “She was brought to a 2.5 million dollar home in Collier County to do domestic services. At the time of her rescue, she was starved nearly to death. She was only 78 pounds. They were feeding her once a week. They were threatening her with her life and the life of her family back home. With our help that woman is free today, and a citizen of the United States.”

Human trafficking claims not only international victims. Rodriguez says she’s seen at least six cases where U.S. citizens were involved. Runaways or females being recruited by so-called “talent scouts” are examples of those turning up as trafficking victims.

HARMONY OSWALD / Eagle staff

Mike Stapleton, Marco Island Knights of Columbus officer, speaks to Anna Rodriguez, founder and CEO of the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Tuesday night. Rodriguez encourages Marco Island community members to join together in recognizing and reporting potential victims of human trafficking.

Mike Stapleton, a Marco Island Knights of Columbus officer, says that although the presentation by Rodriguez Tuesday evening did not point out specific incidents of this crime happening on the island, after learning more and hearing the stories, it was easy to understand how it could be happening in this area.

“The presentation was staggering, scary and beautiful all rolled into one. It’s surprising to hear ‘Marco Island’ and ‘human trafficking’ in the same sentence. At times there was a hush in the room,” Stapleton explains.

“When you look at the number of landscaping, construction, housekeepers and condo cleaning services on this island, you can rest assured it’s happening here. It’s just a matter of catching it,” he confirms.

Community members who report suspicious activity provide 89 percent of leads which help rescue victims of human trafficking. Rodriguez urges the people of Marco Island to come together in recognizing and reporting suspicious signs of this growing crime.

Warning signs to consider include:

• Is the person accompanied by another adult who seems controlling?

• Is the person rarely allowed in public?

• Can you detect physical or psychological abuse?

• Does the person have difficulty communicating because of language or cultural barriers?

• Does the person lack identification?

• Is someone else collecting the person’s pay?

• Does the person appear depressed or never make eye contact?

For more information, log onto www.stophumantrafficking.org. To report suspicious activity, contact the Collier County sheriff’s office at (239)774-4434.