Campaign To Combat Human Trafficking Launched By Cleveland County Sheriff

The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office takes the fight against human trafficking online. Sheriff Chris Amason launched an online awareness campaign through the month of December.

“It's a $150-billion industry and the problem is it's not getting better,” said Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason.

Amason says many human trafficking cases go unreported or unnoticed, but he's hoping to change that by educating the public about this growing crime. 

“The problem is anyone can be a victim of this, it crosses all socio-economic, it crosses all genders, races anyone can be a victim,” Amason said. “Whether it's someone approaching a victim at the mall or online or at Target, it can happen anywhere.” 

Amason says these cases of both sex and labor trafficking are growing in Oklahoma with more than 120 open cases statewide identifying hundreds of traffickers and victims. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline’s Database, the three Oklahoma certified programs reflected the following data: in 2019, a total of 217 human trafficking victims received one or more services with 1,437 calls to the Hotline, in 2020, a total of 161 human trafficking victims received one or more services with the Hotline answering 1,005 calls.

Amason says CCSO Detective Austin Buonasera was instrumental in the identification of five human trafficking victims so far this year, ages 12-15, and the arrest of several suspects.

“We’ve already saved some people, so it's huge,” Amason said.

Whitney Anderson has helped human trafficking survivors for seven years through the Dragonfly Home and warns how traffickers target their victims.

“Traffickers use force, fraud and coercion, a lot of that is tricking people into relationships, into job opportunities, that kind of thing and then creating this climate of fear to where people feel trapped in a situation,” Anderson said.

Once victims can escape, Anderson said they can help survivors with emergency relocation, medical care, therapy, and housing.

“We have provided nonresidential services to nearly 1,000 survivors of human trafficking,” she said.

Anderson said most of those victims were from Oklahoma.

“A major misconception in Oklahoma is that survivors of trafficking victims of human trafficking only come from other countries, or it only happens in other countries,” Anderson said. “What we see is far different that people from Oklahoma are living in Oklahoma and being trafficked by Oklahomans.”

This reality shows why Amason wants people to be vigilant, especially parents.

“When our kiddos are at home, they are just as vulnerable because they have this online presence and that reaches so far,” Amason said. “I think parents being vigilant, making sure they know the websites and even the gaming systems. When they're playing with friends online. if there's some stranger that pops up and starts wanting to play the games, they need to know that and if it's someone creepy they need to block them.”

The Sheriff’s office also hopes the public will help.

“Let us do the dangerous work and just be our eyes and ears and [if you] see something, say something,” Amason said.

Sheriff Amason says if you see something suspicious call law enforcement, and never approach anyone.

For more information about human trafficking and resources for survivor, click here: https://www.thedragonflyhome.org/

24-hour confidential human trafficking help line:

Local: 405-212-3377

Toll Free: 855-674-4767

To learn more about keeping your kids safe online, click here.