Turn to Tara: Human trafficking survivor describes 2-decade nightmare
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says a new law signed just last week removes one of the biggest barriers survivors face after escaping trafficking.
During Human Trafficking Awareness Month, News 12 is revisiting a Turn To Tara investigation that exposed significant failures in the enforcement of some of the tri-state’s anti-trafficking laws.
Monica Allen is a trafficking survivor.
She says her two-decade trafficking nightmare did not look like the movies.
Allen says it unfolded in her New Haven, Connecticut neighborhood - hiding in plain sight.
"The neighborhood overlooked it because it was so common," she says. "So, I didn't have a particular trafficker; I had hundreds, whoever I bought my drugs from."
For years, she says the abuse was so normalized it became invisible, even to herself - until the emotional weight of it all finally broke through
"You know, by the grace of God, I was able and fortunate to run into the PEHT Foundation," she says.
Jamie Manirakiza is the executive director of PEHT, which stands for the Partnership to End Human Trafficking.
She says stories like Monica Allen's show why laws on the books mean little without enforcement and resources.
News 12 senior reporter Tara Rosenblum's recent investigation found those gaps were especially inside hotels.
"It makes me angry," says Manirakiza. "We have these mandates without a lot of resources to implement them. Of course, the reporting that you do exposes it, so that we expose the harsh reality that there’s non-compliance with laws that could help victims get identified."
Her group offers survivors safe housing, long-term support and works closely with law enforcement agencies, like Stamford police, which recently launched an aggressive crackdown targeting traffickers and buyers.
"What better way to help those individuals than to go after those individuals who are targeting them," says Lt. Jerry Junes, of the Stamford Police Department.
At the federal level, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says a new law signed just last week removes one of the biggest barriers survivors face after escaping trafficking.
"It represents a real win for survivors of trafficking. This expunges their criminal record for non-violent crimes they were forced to commit," she says.
That recognition matters for Allen.
"They need to see that we survive," says Allen.
If you have a story to share with the Turn To Tara team, reach Tara Rosenblum by clicking here.
