Human trafficking is so widespread that it might be happening right in your neighborhood and you wouldn't be aware. This isn't meant to scare you. Raising awareness of human trafficking cases is one of the many steps we must take toward eradicating this atrocity. It happens in all 50 states, and many people fall victim.
Reaching out to a Jacksonville human trafficking lawyer helps these victims seek compensation. A lawyer can help you hold industries and businesses that facilitate human trafficking accountable for their heinous acts. Contact a Jacksonville human trafficking lawyer if you or a family member have been a victim of human trafficking.
What Is Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. It involves exploiting people through coercion, using either overt or subtle means. Human trafficking victims can be made to perform specific tasks against their will. It can include sex trafficking or trafficking people for manual labor that benefits the traffickers or other involved individuals.
Human trafficking consists of the organized exploitation of individuals, or it can involve just one person holding another person against their will and using them for their benefit. A Jacksonville human trafficking lawyer can help you understand more about human trafficking and the laws surrounding it.
Victims of Human Trafficking
Most people think of human trafficking as foreign citizens being smuggled into the U.S. for work such as drug peddling or prostitution. The truth, however, is that anyone can be a victim of human trafficking.
Being on alert is necessary, as you can fall into a human trafficking ring at any time. People of all backgrounds, genders, races, sexual orientations, ages, nationalities, or classes must be vigilant. It is better to be cautious and not take anything for granted because you fall under a particular demographic.
Sex Trafficking
Human trafficking involves numerous industries, one of which is the sex trafficking industry. Studies show that around 70% of human trafficking victims are young women between ages 19 and 33. Most of these women fall victim to the commercial sex trade. Many children born to sex-trafficked mothers also become victims of the sex trade.
Personal Injury
Human trafficking victims are often put in dehumanizing conditions. They might live in uninhabitable conditions without access to adequate water or food.
Some victims perform physically taxing manual labor that leaves them with injuries. Personal injury in human trafficking cases also extends to any emotional and reputational damage suffered while a victim.
Other human trafficking victims are beaten and threatened to prevent them from escaping or thinking of escaping. This leaves them with lasting physical and psychological trauma that they might never recover from.
Liability in Human Trafficking Cases
Many parties can be involved in human trafficking. Some of them include the actual traffickers who prey on and coerce people into human trafficking. However, most traffickers are not the brains behind these operations.
You can sue any business that benefited from participating in what they should have known or knew were possible human trafficking ventures. This allows you to seek compensation from any third-party entities that do not have direct ties to trafficking.
You could hold any party accountable for your ordeal if it happened on their premises. However, you should be able to prove that they had knowledge about what happened. For example, property owners who knew about a trafficking case and could have stopped it but didn't could be held liable.
Warning Signs of Human Trafficking
Human trafficking can be happening just a few miles from where you are. Victims are not always sent to other countries. Paying close attention to your surroundings and the people around you can help you notice warning signs of human trafficking. It can also help you identify human trafficking victims and prompt you to get help.
Some victims might show signs of poor dental and physical health or malnourishment. This happens because most traffickers don't care about their victims' health. However, some human traffickers keep their victims in good conditions, so you should also be aware of other warning signs, especially with victims who look well fed or well taken care of.
Recoverable Damages
Victims of human trafficking lose more than their freedom. They are subject to personal injury attacks and sexual exploitation.
If you are a victim, you can recover economic and non-economic damages from the responsible parties. The economic damages you can recover include:
- Underpaid, unpaid, or lost wages
- Medical expenses
- Tax or Social Security payments
- Loss of career opportunities
- Smuggling or transportation fees
Non-economic damages are harder to calculate. Your Jacksonville human trafficking lawyer can assign them a monetary value. This can help you to recover damages such as:
- Loss of consortium
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced quality of life
- Psychological trauma
How Can a Human Trafficking Lawyer Help?
Some human trafficking victims escape from their traffickers. If this has happened to you, or you know of someone who was able to survive, you should reach out to a Jacksonville human trafficking lawyer. Working with a lawyer is one way you can help the authorities arrest and punish human traffickers.
A Jacksonville human trafficking lawyer can help you draft and file lawsuits against human traffickers. They will help you write a statement of what you went through and help you identify some of the involved parties. Your lawyer will do nothing without your consent; your safety is most important.
Your lawyer will be discreet, ensuring no details leak or compromise your safety. All sessions are confidential, and they will only disclose what you choose. A Jacksonville human trafficking lawyer will also help you get compensation for your damages from the liable party. You can get compensation from parties that are either directly related to your trafficking or were negligent and didn't stop the trafficking.
Contact a Dolman Law Group Human Trafficking Lawyer
Don't suffer in silence. Reach out to our Jacksonville human trafficking lawyer to get help with your case. Your case is confidential, and we are always discreet with all our interactions. We will help you seek compensation from all involved parties and help ensure it doesn't happen to anyone else. Call us today and take the first step to get justice.
Jacksonville Office
12574 Flagler Center Blvd.;
Suite 101
Jacksonville, FL 32258
Phone: (904) 441-6903