‘Ring of Silence’, forum shine light on human trafficking

HANCOCK -- Residents learned about the threat of human trafficking and ways to help combat it during a special event Tuesday night.

About 50 people attended the screening of "Ring of Silence," which was followed by a panel of regional experts and the film's director, Nicole Bowers Wallace. It event was sponsored by the Portage Health Foundation, Upper Peninsula Human Trafficking Task Force, Dial Help and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

The film, which depicts how a high-school student got lured into a trafficking ring by a friendly man several years older, was harrowing to make, Wallace said. She still finds it too difficult to watch herself. But she hopes the message can prompt action in the community.

"It's so important to get this out to the community so that we can start looking for the signs... this is about if you see something, say something, and be that voice for these young girls and boys that are happening," she said.

Human traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to control and exploit people for the sake of profit, the Upper Peninsula Human Trafficking Task Force said. While it can also include labor, commercial sex acts are the primary form.

Predators can come from all walks of life, said Curt Harrington, chief of the Iron River Police Department.

"I've arrested a senior vice president of Comerica Bank for being a predator of a 13-year-old girl," he said. "Lawn-mowing services and veterans of the military. All walks of life, every culture you can imagine."

The Upper Peninsula Human Trafficking Task Force was started in 2021. Last year, the task force and law enforcement partners led to the arrest of 11 people charged with coming to the U.P. to sexually assault children, Graef said.

Those statistics are the tip of the iceberg for the crime, which still largely goes unreported, Graef said. Traffickers often maintain control of their victims by telling them they'll be prosecuted themselves if they go to the police, she said.

Under a new Michigan law, nobody under the age of 18 can be charged with prostitution. Another new law bans coercion through drugs, another way traffickers can keep their victims in line, Graef said.

"If you come forward, you don't have to worry about being arrested," she said.

In a voiceover, the film's protagonist notes a conversation with a helpful teacher as a moment where she could have come forward and ended the situation. Panelists said if children need help, they can talk to parents, teachers.

"Like that teacher said, all you have to do is say something," Hancock Public Schools Superintendent Steve Patchin said. "And we're by law, and by morals, required to act."

In a flier provided at the meeting, the U.P. Human Trafficking Task Froce outlined characteristics of people who may be victims of human trafficking:

– Has coached/rehearsed answers to questions

– Frequently runs away from home

– Makes references to frequent travel to other cities

– Shows signs of drug addiction

– Exhibits bruises or other signs of physical trauma, withdrawn behavior, depression, anxiety or fear

– Demonstrates an inability to attend school on a regular basis and/or has unexplained absences

– Lacks control over their schedule and/or identification or travel documents

– Is hungry, malnourished, deprived of sleep, or inappropriately dressed (based on weather conditions or surroundings).

If someone suspects human trafficking, they should not confront the suspected trafficker directly or alert the victim to their suspections, the flyer said. In the case of an emergency situation -- such as threats of violence, physical assault or emergency medical needs -- they should call 911.

Victims who need help or people who want to find support for a loved one can call or text the confidential 24/7 Upper Peninsula Human Trafficking Helpline at 906-299-9243 or go to upht123.org. To contact the Dial Help Victim Services hotline, call 800-562-7622.