(dramatic music) - Welcome to "Crosscut Now."

In today's episode, we're shining the spotlight on a grim underworld of sex trafficking in Seattle.

We'll introduce you to a local organization that is working to expand pathways to freedom, safety, and hope for victims and survivors.

We'll also look into a state bill proposal that could unlock better professional opportunities for undocumented Washingtonians that advocates say would benefit the economy.

And why some of the most disadvantaged children in the state are not receiving child support payments.

I'm Paris Jackson, today's top story, we're going into the dark, complex world affecting lives right here in the Puget Sound.

We're talking about sex trafficking.

Coming up, you'll hear from one of the leading anti-trafficking organizations about how they're helping victims and survivors of all ages rebuild their lives.

There is a harsh world facing thousands of people in Washington: sex trafficking.

A Seattle nonprofit is leading the way to help victims and survivors overcome exploitation and recover from their traumatic experiences.

Since 2009, nonprofit organization Real Escape from the Sex Trade, also known as REST, offers holistic survivor-centric services where they seek to walk with survivors of trafficking no matter where they are in their healing journey.

Every year, the Port of Seattle estimates 500 to 700 minors face a variation of trafficking.

In 2020, Washington passed a safe harbor law to target child sex trafficking in two ways.

One, ensuring kids who are sexually exploited are not charged as criminals.

And, two, it would create two receiving centers; one on the west side and east side of the state where kids could get the treatment they need.

An InvestigateWest investigation says the law is failing to keep its word.

Although traffic children aren't being arrested, experts say those same minors are not going to treatment centers.

I sat down with REST Program Director and Community Service Manager, Audrey Baedke and Jessica Clayton, to learn how extensive sex trafficking is in our region and the biggest barriers facing victims and survivors.

Welcome, Audrey and Jessica, thank you for joining us today.

- Thank you for having us.

- It's a pleasure to have you guys here.

An organization that you work with, REST, they're a leader in the anti-trafficking field.

How pervasive is sex trafficking in our region?

- It's hard to get a count on the prevalence because no one is raising their hand to say, "Ooh, I'm selling sex," or "I purchased sex."

But what we know is that sex trafficking is happening in pornography, in strip clubs, in street prostitution and online escorts, and if we look at just online escorting, there's more than a hundred websites in King County alone that are advertising sexual services the way that you and I might advertise a used car.

And we know that in the past year, there were more than 23,000 unique phone numbers attached to those advertisements.

We also know 90% of people in the sex industry have been trafficked, and so there's likely 20,000 individuals that have experienced trafficking just in our area.

We also know that 500 of those are youth under the age of 18.

One other number just to throw out is that from one study that looked at buyers, so people who were looking at sexual services online, in a 24 hour period, there were 8,000 unique IP addresses.

So what we know is that the demand for sexual services is high.

There aren't enough willing participants to say, "I will fill that need."

And so traffickers step in to recruit individuals to turn into victims to be able to sell for sex.

- And the complexities and the magnitude of this is vast, as these numbers that you're laying out.

What does the public not know and why is it so important that we push the needle in sounding the alarm?

- First of all, we know that it's happening in every neighborhood.

When we've driven survivors around, they'll say, "Oh yeah, I was trafficked there.

Oh yeah, I had a customer there.

Oh yeah, I've been there."

I can't think of an area in the Puget Sound that I haven't had someone identify as a place where they were sold for sex.

We also know that the people who are being sold for sex come from every walk of life.

Actually, the same is true for those who are purchasing sex and those who are trafficking sex.

But what we do know is that the more vulnerable a person is, the more likely they are to be exploited, and the more privileged someone has, the more likely they are to be the exploiter.

So for numbers in our area, 44% of child sex trafficking victims are African American, even though in our community that number is only 7%.

And, disproportionately, buyers are white men with wealth, 74% compared to 63% of the general public.

And a lot of times people think pornography is a victimless crime, prostitution's a victimless crime, but we know that the likelihood of someone having PTSD after being involved in the sex industry is higher than a war veteran who lived through combat.

So the amount of trauma that a person lives through is exceptionally higher than any other occupation is.

- Let's pivot and talk about services.

Now, Jessica, you guys provide a number of services to the community.

What type of services are you doing to help those that are experiencing this trauma?

- I would say the most common way survivors get in touch with REST for services is through our outreach efforts and then also through our 24/7 hotline.

From there, we can direct them to the most appropriate services for them.

That might look like staying in our emergency receiving center for up to 90 days where they can connect with a case manager, stabilize, and start working towards goals; going to one of our transitional houses; or being connected with one of our community advocates that can help work with them around identifying goals, achieving their goals, maybe connecting them to our mental health professional or our substance use disorders professional, or even our employment specialist.

We also provide assistance around rental support and other housing endeavors for them.

- Jessica, let's talk about youth, and then, the numbers are staggering about how many young folks are harmed in this sex trafficking industry.

Can you share a client story or many client stories of how you guys are able to really make change in their lives?

- As Audrey touched on before, these vulnerabilities, right?

There's a common theme with them: poverty, lack of access to resources or education, that increases someone's vulnerability to being exploited.

Traffickers are really experts in seeing these vulnerabilities and then exploiting it.

So a trafficker might come into this person's life and help fulfill a basic need, make them feel seen, valued, loved, and kind of establish this relationship.

But then ultimately that changes.

The relationship might become violent, physically, emotionally, psychologically.

So it really takes a lot for this person or young person to break free from that.

And then once they have, there needs to be supports, and that's kind of where REST comes in.

So we kind of come in once they've broken free or if they're in the process of fleeing their trafficker and provide them with that support.

- Another important statistic is that the average age someone is recruited into sex trafficking is between 12 and 15 years old.

And as Jessica said, vulnerabilities make someone more likely to be involved.

But if we think about any of us at that age, 12 to 15 years old, we were all vulnerable.

We were all looking for love and attention.

And so traffickers come in and prey on those vulnerabilities to fill those needs and can bring this excitement and glamour that is overshadowing the violence and harm that comes later.

And then when that person is ready to leave or wanting to leave, that is when it intensifies and it makes it so much more difficult.

- What is the biggest hurdle facing you all in the work that you do that the public needs to to know about?

- Finances.

We have an emergency shelter and it is at capacity 90% of the time.

We have transitional housing and it is filled all the time.

We have advocates and they're at capacity all the time.

We have partner agencies and they're at capacity.

We would be able to do more if we had more resources.

Instead, we have to be very strategic about the resources that we have, but we would love to be sure that every person that says "I'm ready to go," and doesn't have the means to exit on their own, has the resources available to be able to stabilize and live the life they want to live.

- REST is doing phenomenal work.

Thank you so much for joining us, Jessica and Audrey.

- Thank you.

- If you want to learn more about REST and the services that they provide, go to their website, IWantRest.com.

(suspenseful music) Proponents are hoping undocumented Washingtonians can have better access to jobs that require licenses.

We'll tell you about a bill proposal circulating in the Washington State legislature.

A proposed bill in the Washington legislature could make it easier for non-citizens to get professional licenses to work in more professions.

Proponents say the proposal is good economic policy and would help relieve workforce shortages in professions such as nursing.

House Bill 1889 would strike the requirement that applicants for professional licenses be US citizens, allowing for the use of an individual tax identification number instead of a social security number.

In early January, many undocumented Washingtonians testified before the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee supporting the proposal to build an easier pathway toward a professional license.

The bill would also encourage qualified undocumented students to pursue their dream jobs by addressing the lack of clarity surrounding which licenses require a social security number.

On January 26, HB 1889 passed out of the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Business.

Supporters of the bill acknowledged the significance of it and that it may take time to work through the legislature.

(suspenseful music) Washington State is averting millions in child support payments meant for families struggling the most.

We'll explain why advocates and lawmakers are calling foul on this practice.

Some Washington parents are sounding the alarm about how the state, like many states in the nation, is intercepting millions of dollars in child support payments these parents say they count on.

Washington averts millions in child support payments from custodial parents if they also receive cash benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF program, that is historically known as welfare.

In 2022, federal data shows Washington kept more than $41 million.

The state says it splits that revenue with federal agencies to cover the cost of services.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle have likened the practice to a tax that specifically target the poor.

House Bill 1652 currently under consideration in the State Senate would require the state to provide up to 100% of current child support payments to families.

The House reaffirmed the bill and it now awaits action in the Senate Law and Justice Committee where lawmakers have until February 21st to advance it.

I'm Paris Jackson, thank you for watching "Crosscut Now," your destination for nonprofit Northwest news.

Go to crosscut.com for more.

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