Human Trafficking victims disappear from Florida shelter

Two victims of human trafficking have disappeared from a shelter in South West Florida. Officials and NGOs are concerned for the safety of the 13 year old and 23 year old. The woman and child were rescued from forced prostitution when a man noticed one of them crying as they walked down the main street of Immokalee, Florida. They claimed that they had been taken across the border from Mexico and promised a job picking berries, but then had been forced into prostitution. The police would not confirm or deny whether the woman and girl had disappeared, but Anna Rodriguez of founder of the Florida Coalition against Human Trafficking said that she was concerned for the victims;
“My concern is where are the girls? We have a 13-year-old. My concern is are the girls back with the traffickers?” she asked. “If the girls are back with the traffickers, these girls could be tortured or punished.”
Law enforcers must gain victims’ trust so they don’t flee once authorities leave, she said. “Their instinct is to escape. Traffickers are constantly telling victims law enforcement is evil. They have that coaching that comes from the traffickers,” she said. “That’s why it is so important to go to your (nonprofit groups) to make sure when you place them at a shelter, they’re already comfortable with you.”