Community panel discusses impact of human trafficking on undocumented Floridians

Share
Telisia Espinosa speaking at the panel on Thursday night. By: Corey Beltran (10/12/2023)

Human trafficking is a difficult topic for many Floridians, as modern-day slavery and forced sex work continue to cause concerns for both families and law enforcement throughout the state. A nonprofit called MiraclesOutreach.org gathered panelists at the Carter G. Woodson Museum in St. Petersburg to discuss solutions. Law enforcement officials and human trafficking victims shared stories about some of their experiences with how sex workers have been exploited. Pinellas County Commissioner René Flowers says those concerns extend to farmworkers living in Florida.

“A lot of those young girls are trafficked right there in the groves. And the parents won’t say anything because they’re all  undocumented”

Telisia Espinosa is a human trafficking survivor, and offered to share her lived experiences with the audience.

“Yeah, they may be prostituted yes, they may be victimized, but when it all comes down to it, you’re a human being. I’m a human being. You deserve respect. I deserve respect.”

Espinosa says to look out for signs of trafficking including children coming home with new cellphones or expensive gifts, matching tattoos among friends, and even video games with chat features where adults have access to engage with young children.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

Hurricane Idalia
New USF study reveals how rivers can affect hurricane strength

Listen: New research from the University of South Florida’s College...

Local groups gathered at Tampa City Hall to oppose ICE raids

The Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, along with...

The Scoop: Mon. June 9, 2025, Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF

WMNF headlines including Tampa protests, brake light replacement, undocumented migrants,...

Brake light clinic helps residents avoid traffic stops and interactions with ICE

Deviant Libation hosted an event with Love has no Borders...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Jazz in the Night
Jazz in the Night