Grounding in Local Realities:

Human Trafficking in Contra Costa County

Did you know?

In Contra Costa County, over 500 human trafficking survivors have been identified by the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Coalition since 2013.

The prevalence of human trafficking is quite stunning. And it is important for us to ground in the realities of our own communities. Here are some stories of cases that involved crimes that took place in Contra Costa County.

Arthit’s Story

Arthit arrived in the US on an A2-A visa in order to do temporary work on a farm in California picking almonds. He was recruited by a company called Global Horizons (a Southern Californian company that allegedly helped people find good paying farm labor jobs in the US). Global Horizons charged him incredibly high “recruitment fees” which created an insurmountable debt for Arthit. He lived in a dilapidated house with other workers that was infested with rats and endured screaming, threats and physical assault while on the farm. He was isolated from other non-English speaking workers. Bound by his debt and silenced by the perpetrators he felt he had little options. Learn more.

Jessica’s Story

Jessica met a man online (first through Facebook and then the conversation moved to another website known for prostitution). After talking online for awhile the man invited Jessica to go to Orange County with him, promising her lots of money if she went with him. Jessica agreed but once in Anaheim she was given rules and told her she had to prostitute herself. He told her he would keep all the money she made in order to provide for anything they needed. He refused to turn over any of the money to Jessica and threatened her telling her he knew people who have killed other people and he know where she lives. Learn more.

To learn more about national statistics around human trafficking click here to download 2018 Statistics from the Polaris National Hotline.