Rumors of Sacramento’s status as a hotbed of sex trafficking are exaggerated – however, it is here, and it’s pervasive, as evidenced by arrests made yesterday in Elk Grove after conversation among passengers in an Uber car caused the driver to become suspicious.
An uncredited statistic that’s been making the rounds declaring Sacramento second in the nation for sex trafficking is baseless, said Gina Swankie of the FBI.
“We’re no different than anywhere else,” Swankie said. “...Is it crazy rampant? No. Does it exist? Yes, it does.”
Swankie said she believes the rumor of Sacramento’s notoriety as a sex-trafficking capital came from an organized law enforcement operation several years back in which Sacramento officers made the second-most arrests among other cities that participated.
She had heard the statistic a number of times, but no one could attribute it to an official source. Finally, in searching for its origins, she dug up reports of an anti-sex trafficking operation that yielded the magic second place ranking for Sacramento.
However, she noted that it can be difficult for law enforcement to accurately gauge just how much prostitution is actually going on, and how much of it involves the trafficking of underage or otherwise unwilling victims.
In any case, although Sacramento isn’t necessarily the sex trafficking haven it’s cracked up to be, it is still pervasive here, affecting both rural and urban areas, Swankie said.
“It literally affects every facet of your community,” she said.
A spokesperson for the National Human Trafficking Resource Center said there are many misconceptions about sex trafficking, including that it is characterized by moving sex workers from place to place, as suggested by the word 'trafficking.'
“It’s very, very common, and it happens with local women, not just women being brought in,” she said.
Sex traffickers often advertise online on sites like backpage.com, with code words like 'fresh’ and ‘new in town’ indicative of underage girls.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center helps people of all ages and genders who have been victimized by traffickers for any form of forced labor, including sex work and domestic servitude. Suspicions of sex trafficking can be reported on their website, or directly to the police.
