Columbus speaker reframes sex trafficking

March 18--COLUMBUS -- When Julie Schrader started working with sex trafficking victims, she was surprised by how many calls she got from women struggling to escape the illegal business.

"In the state of Nebraska, there was really nowhere for them to go except for homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters," said Schrader. "None of those places are equipped for those women who've been trafficked."

Schrader is the founder and president of Rejuvenating Women in Omaha, one of the few organizations that provides resources and shelter for women trying to escape sex trafficking.

"To be honest, I was really led by God down the road that I'm at now," said Schrader. "Because all these doors kept opening to help these girls who had nowhere to go."

Human trafficking has gotten a lot of attention in Nebraska in recent years. In June 2016, state law enforcement and social services started an initiative pushed by Attorney General Doug Peterson to educate communities about the signs of trafficking and focus penalties on johns and pimps more than the prostitutes.

Officials from Platte and Colfax counties attended a human trafficking training session in Norfolk.

In January, state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln introduced a bill that would create stiffer penalties for those who buy and sell sex.

Schrader's presentation, scheduled for 10 a.m.March 25 at Federated Church in Columbus, will discuss the problem of sex trafficking and what can be done to prevent it and assist victims.

While Schrader commends the recent efforts to raise awareness, especially among law enforcement, she said it's not enough.

"Nebraska is way behind," she said.

One reason the state lags behind is a misconception about what trafficking is, what it looks like and how women enter the sex trade.

"We tend to watch movies like 'Taken' and that's what we think trafficking is," said Schrader. "That does happen, but more often the common denominator is a girl who is being groomed by her so-called boyfriend."

Schrader said the majority of these young women were sexually abused at home and have a low sense of self-worth. Traffickers seek these vulnerable women and start by dating them to earn their trust.

"It's easy for these girls to believe that these boys love them," she said. "These boys don't love them; they're liars and all they want is to make money off of their body."

After the woman has been groomed, sometimes for years, her boyfriend will ask her to become a prostitute.

"Because he convinces her that he loves her and if she loves him she will have sex with other men so he can pay these bills," said Schrader.

Schrader said that manipulation is why it's been so challenging for law enforcement and social services to identify trafficking victims.

"She does not usually call herself a victim. She does call herself a prostitute. She does not consider herself trafficked or forced," she said.

Once a woman or girl enters prostitution, it's extremely dangerous to leave, but also dangerous to stay.

"The average lifespan of a girl who's been trafficked or prostituted is seven to 10 years from when they started," said Schrader.

Schrader hopes law enforcement will change the way it handles these situations, though the laws and some officers still view prostitutes as the perpetrators.

"The laws are tougher on (the prostitute) than the pimp or the john," said Schrader. "Some of our police officers still have that mentality, and I think it's going to take some people leaving and retiring in police departments before it's going to shift."

Schrader wants to make people aware that trafficking is happening in Nebraska, even in smaller cities like Columbus.

"People don't think it is, but it is. Somebody is being driven through the town. There's a victim at the gas station and at the laundromat," she said.

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