As March Madness approaches, fears escalate about an uptick in sex trafficking activities surrounding the NCAA Final Four basketball championship. According to Alisa Bernard, a survivor of prostitution and campaign manager with World Without Exploitation, the scenario presents the grim reality many cities face. "Realistically, sex trafficking happens in every city, every day," Bernard stated in an interview obtained by ABC15.
"When a geographic area experiences an influx of predominately men with means and time to spare, they will see an increase in sex trafficking, " she said, pointing out last year's Super Bowl in Glendale as a reference, where over 300 people, including 120 attempting to buy sex, were arrested during a sting operation. Victims typically belong to vulnerable populations subjected to various adversities such as income inequality, food insecurity, and houselessness. Bernard advocates for a focus on stopping buyers and assisting the trafficked, insisting, "We don't want to punish them for something that's being done to them," as reported by ABC15.
The Super Bowl and other pinnacle sports events are not just showcases for athletes but also magnetize criminal enterprises looking to capitalize on the influx of fans. A report by Micronomics puts the economic benefit of Super Bowl LVI in the Los Angeles area at a hefty $477.5 million. Yet, parallel to the revenue surge, law enforcement girds against the exploitation darkening the fringes of these events. In a recent case spotlighted by Thomson Reuters, federal and local officials devised complex operations resulting in dozens of arrests and several rescues, including minors, from trafficking.
Public awareness and interagency collaboration have become crucial in combating this scourge. Financial institutions, utilizing their anti-money laundering tools, have been pivotal in detecting and reporting suspicious transactions and, in the Miami Super Bowl sting, enabled law enforcement to save 22 victims. Despite the determination displayed, the struggle persists daily and globally, as noted by the Department of Homeland Security. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received over 17,200 reports of potential child sex trafficking in 2021 alone, evidence of the continuous fight against this violation of human rights.
Public education remains at the vanguard of this battle. “The greatest advancement I have seen in combating human trafficking in my 36 years in federal law enforcement, banking, and supporting law enforcement is education," affirmed the Department of Homeland Security. Individuals interested in getting more informed about how to identify and prevent human trafficking are encouraged to visit the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign website. More than just being spectators of sports, by becoming vigilant and educated, the public can contribute to curbing this global crime.
