Pablo conference examines effects of human trafficking

By Michelle Lovato

Lake County Leader

For victims of human trafficking, survival is a daily question.

“Maybe he won’t kill me tonight,” said one victim who appeared on video before a large group of law enforcement, medical professionals, social workers and members of the public at a Modern-Day Slavery workshop Jan. 15 at the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Pablo.

“Human trafficking is happening right here in Montana’s rural communities, devastating families and the lives of children of our neighbors, friends and co-workers,” speaker Katharina Werner said. She is domestic and sexual violence program manager at Missoula’s Young Women’s Christian Association.

“Trafficking is particularly rampant in Indian country where pimps target vulnerable Native American children, teens and young adults for their exotic trade value.’”

Hosted by the Salish Kootenai Tribal Collage Social Work Department, Werner and Missoula Police Officer and Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force team member Guy Baker spoke at the day-long event focused on the human suffering associated with trafficking and forced prostitution.

Aimed at professionals who interact with those who may be unwilling victims, the two speakers gave indepth and inspiring talks about what the problem entails and who might be likely victims. 

Danielle Rochte of St. Ignatius attended the event to keep her knowledge of the sex trafficking subject up to date. 

Rochte graduated from the college last spring with her bachelor’s degree in social work, and studied the subject for two years.

Rochte said she enjoyed the event and was pleased to know two additional sources existed for her to turn to in times of crisis.

“One thing I think they did want people to know is that it’s not always strangers,” Rochte said. “Sometimes it’s families.”

Rochte said the family connection was relatively rare, but much closer than the kind of perpetrator most people think they are protecting their children from.

Lake County Sheriff’s Detective Kim Leibenguth said the training was outstanding.

“What really struck a chord with me was how easy it would be to have a single parent who has to work a lot, who might have a kid that feels like they are not loved or cared for and goes to the mall then runs into an older gentleman who comes up and says they should be a model,” she said.

One stranger’s flattery might result in sex slavery.

In addition, many kids who run away from home are in the hands of a human trafficker within 48 hours, Leibenguth said. And then victims stay with their abuser because they feel indebted.

As a single mother, Leibenguth said she chose Polson as her home years ago because she wanted a safe place to raise her boys. But the reality of human trafficking, however, is that rural Montana is just as vulnerable to the criminal element.

“We have a lot of runaways and they can get sucked into this so easily because they are looking for affection, or attention or whatever they are missing,” Leibenguth said. “It’s very sad, but a truthful thing that is happening.”

Lake County’s native American kids are vulnerable, she said.

“We have a higher population of native American kids and because more of them need homes, have abusive or alcoholic parents and are raised in that lifestyle, it is easier to abuse them,” Leibenguth said. 

Werner said Indian children are at risk.

“Trafficking is all about vulnerability and marginalizing oppressed populations. Indian populations are at higher risk because there are so many more risk factors,” Werner said. “Poverty and lack of education feeds into that. Those who say we in this country have equal access are wrong. That is simply not true. They have a lack of access to equal opportunity. It’s a bigger systematic problem, too. We need to address that.”

Werner said that girls can be taken from their home location and transported to five or six places in just a few days. And though some are reported on by media outlets, their story is often misidentified as one of prostitution.

One solution to the human trafficking is educating professionals and the public, she said.

“Guy Baker said it best when he told us that we need to become neighborhoods again and know what’s going on,” Werner said.

“We need to take care of each other and not lock our doors and shut ourselves out.”

Werner agreed with Baker’s discussion.

“It’s important that community members understand they are part of the community,” Werner said. “Community members need to know the indicators, the red flags about sex trafficking because they are going to be the ones out there. If we don’t know what we are looking for, we are not going to be able to identify it.”