This year Soroptimist International will hold a key event at the CSW59 NGO Forum,
on child and sex trafficking
called ‘Bringing an End to Sex Trafficking: We Can Do It!’.

FBI Special Agent Marty Parker specialises
in this area, working in California, USA and will be Speaker at the SI event, which aims to shatter some of
the myths that surround trafficking, and highlight what we all can do help eliminate
trafficking in our communities.

The SI HQ Team were honoured to talk to Marty in the run up to CSW59 and ‘Bringing an End to Sex Trafficking: We Can Do It!’  which will be held on 9 March, Church Centre of the UN, New York.

SIHQ: Marty thanks so much for taking
the time to talk to us. What led you to develop expertise in the area of sex
and child trafficking?

MP: I fell into it when I started in
the Bureau. I was originally on a violent crimes squad, then was asked by my
supervisor if I wanted to partake in a programme called ‘Innocent Images’. This
was back in 1999/2000 when the Bureau first started undercover operations in an
effort to catch online sexual predators. From this point, I could see how vital
this work was and decided this is what I wanted to pursue. I felt it was here
where I could make a difference. It was and is difficult, but it’s also rewarding.
Through our work at the FBI we are protecting some of the most vulnerable
people in our society.

SIHQ: What do you do in the FBI to help
prevent trafficking and protect victim, and what impact do you think that has?

MP: I have been working in child sex
trafficking since 2001 – this was when my first big case was and I realised
very early on that I couldn’t do this alone. I needed to partner up with local
police departments in the area. They are the ones who see these crimes the
most. They see the 13 year old on the street, they witness domestic abuse
between older men and much younger women. We now have a very good network. We
do proactive work, we go out onto the streets and look for these girls. If this
gets them off the street a day or two early, then that’s great. If we get them
off the street before they come to us then that’s good too. Then we make sure
the people who are doing this to these girls go to prison. We see fist-hand how
the lives of the girls and their families are ruined by these people. You see
the effects on their friends and the people they know.

SIHQ: What has changed since you
started working in this area?

MP: Over time, there has been a lot
more of a focus on this area. When I started, and until fairly recently, I was
one of the few people in my office working on this. This was very frustrating
for me. On my squad, we had ten people working on gangs, but I was the only one
working in child sex trafficking. This has now really shifted. Now everyone,
law enforcement, the community, the media, are seeing how important it is. And
now additional resources are coming forward, and attitudes are shifting. These
are not bad kids making the decision to do this on their own. No thirteen year
old wakes up and decides they want to sleep with strange men for money. And now
people are finally seeing this, and this has been an uphill struggle.

SIHQ: Does your personality help you to
succeed in this work? Does it also help being a woman?

MP: It definitely does! I can tell them,
‘I’ve been doing this for fourteen years, I know what you’ve been through’, I
understand and I empathise. This does help them open up a bit. And I have seen
them trying to speak to an agent or cop who just doesn’t understand and who
hasn’t worked in this area before. These girls are savvy and street smart, and
they look at these people and think ‘you’ve no idea’. When I do the interviews
I often take a male with me, because you don’t know who she’ll open up to. They
are often so close to men, they are used to dealing with them, so some will
continue to gravitate towards men.

SIHQ: Why did you chose to speak at
Soroptimist International’s event on Human Trafficking?

MP: This event is a great opportunity
to spread the message that human trafficking does exist in the form of young
girls in our own neighbourhoods. This isn’t only about adults in cargo ships
from China. This event is a great means of doing this; helping and educating
people to know what to look out for in their own communities.

SIHQ: What role do you think NGOs such
as Soroptimist International can do in bringing an end to trafficking?

MP: One of the great things about NGOs
is that a lot of them are extremely good at fundraising, and often local police
departments don’t have the funds to help care for victims after they have
recovered. There is a detective that I work with has done a major push with
NGOs to seek their help. When we get a girl who has been trafficked from somewhere
like Texas, we need help to get her home. Or, to help her get something to eat
or more appropriate clothes, or a bed to sleep in. Going into police
departments and asking what you can do to help is a great thing. And then just
getting the word out to communities – it’s not just an Oakland California
problem, it’s in all communities! People need to spot if a girl is going down
that path, and then they can know how it can be stopped.

There are so
many people out there who want to help. So it is good to give them something
tangible to do that will make a difference. You know, we have a big operation
and local agencies often can’t even afford lunches for their own officers. So
these things really do help. And this support helps keep the officers moral up
too.

SIHQ: Do you think that there are
widely held attitudes in society that can contribute to the perpetuation of
trafficking and its harms?

MP: Absolutely! One of the big myths
out there is that many people think these girls are out there because they want
to be – this is not right. I know I keep saying girls, but there are some boys
out there too. However, the overwhelming number are girls. The myth that they
want to be there is harmful – it causes people to turn a blind eye – they think
these girls aren’t victims but willing participants. People need to look beyond
to see what is causing her to be there.

The other
big myth is that the human trafficking problem is only about people being
shipped in. In my experience there are more domestic sex trafficking victims
than immigrants being trafficked into the USA.

SIHQ: If we do one thing every day that
could contribute to ending trafficking, what would that be?

MP: Keep your eyes open – it is
everywhere! All it takes is one contact, or one call to make a huge difference.
Some campaigns are out there that can help change attitudes too. The people who
are buying sex need to know that girls don’t want to be there. They aren’t
doing it because they enjoy sex. Courts, lawyers, judges, communities, they all
need to know the issues.

SIHQ: Do you think that the FBI has the
necessary powers to help end trafficking and to protect the victims of sex or
child trafficking? If not, what powers and resources would you need?

MP: We can always use more resources,
but the FBI is in a strong position to do something about trafficking. The FBI
has a wide reach, and we have agents in around fifty-six countries across the
world. We have good worldwide coverage. Unlike what you see in the TV we work
well with local partners! We do laugh about that. This relationship is important
in these cases, because local cops are the boots on the ground. Patrol officers
are the ones who will come across the victims. Working with them, and having
over-reaching coverage as well means we can do a lot of beneficial work. There
are good federal laws too that cover sex trafficking. However, resources for
victims is a huge issue.

SIHQ: This is one of the ways NGOS can
help?

MP: Yes! Definitely!

SIHQ: Being an FBI agent is an esteemed
position. Is it a career choice that you would recommend to other women?

MP: Absolutely! I have been in the
Bureau for sixteen years. I can’t imagine a more rewarding career. Everyone has
a different experience –  so this is a
great thing too. There are so many areas within the Bureau, so you can follow
your passion. I will be doing this until I retire. Every once in a while I’ve
gotten cards and letters from girls I’ve helped, flowers from parents, and it
takes a couple of things like that you know your career is worth it. I’ve been
to beautiful places and met amazing people.

Only a
couple of days ago I got an email from a District Attorney, and he’s working a
cold case on trafficking. One of the girls said they spoke to a very nice FBI
agent, who spoke to her about getting out. It turns out it was me! She said
that conversation helped her get out. That is such a big reward.

Getting the
support from the community is great. Everyone in law enforcement really
appreciates those kind of gestures. They aren’t just little things to us.

Special
thanks to Marty, and we look forward to seeing her in New York

Click on the image to download the leaflet for the SI and Collaborative Events, CSW59 New York.