Promoting human-trafficking awareness

Standing at the transit center waiting for the morning bus or train, many commuters aren't thinking about much more than that second cup of coffee.

But the Auburn Soroptimists want commuters to pay attention, even at an early hour on a work day. They want commuters to look out for signs of human trafficking — exploiting people, often young women, and turning them into servants or prostitutes — that often occurs in airports, bus and train stations and other transit centers.

While local and national law-enforcement agencies can't confirm that human trafficking takes place in local transit centers, they say it does happen in Western Washington. And if there's even a chance that human trafficking is happening in South King County transit hubs, the Soroptimists want everyone to be aware of it.

As part of National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness, the Auburn Soroptimists hit Auburn Station at A Street Southwest early Friday to pass out informational fliers about human trafficking.

For the Soroptimists, a nonprofit-service club dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, raising awareness about human trafficking is an important campaign.

"It's important because the women who are stolen and kidnapped and forced into slavery like this often don't know that they have any rights," said Sarah Miller, chairwoman of the public-awareness committee for Soroptimist International of Auburn.

Human trafficking does happen within the region, but it's not every day, said Lorie Dankers, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Local law-enforcement officials say they are unaware of current cases of human trafficking in South King County.

Sutapa Basu, executive director of the University of Washington Women's Center, said human-trafficking cases in King County are not well-documented. Victims don't come forward for fear of retaliation, she said.

"It's very difficult to document because it's an underground activity," Basu said.

The center is completing a study on human trafficking in the area, Basu said. Once the scope of human trafficking is known, the community can work to provide services for the victims.

It's important to note the difference between human trafficking and human smuggling, Dankers said: Trafficking is the forced exploitation of a person, often for sexual purposes; smuggling is the illegal transportation of people into the U.S.

Miller admits that it's while unlikely that human trafficking is going on specifically at Auburn transit center, the people taking buses or trains out of Auburn travel to other destinations where trafficking could be going on — and the awareness can't hurt.

Lauren Vane: 253-234-8604 or lvane@seattletimes.com