{"id":28631,"date":"2024-03-19T16:51:14","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T16:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cosmetologists-trained-to-identify-possible-victims-of-human-trafficking\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T06:35:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T06:35:23","slug":"cosmetologists-trained-to-identify-possible-victims-of-human-trafficking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cosmetologists-trained-to-identify-possible-victims-of-human-trafficking\/","title":{"rendered":"Cosmetologists trained to identify possible victims of human trafficking"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sexual
Sexual Assault Services is signing up hair, face and nail salons in the Durango area to participate in a free class designed to prepare people who might interact with victims of the human trafficking industry. Pictured is Tampa-based activist Christopher King, far right, United for Human Rights Florida Executive Director and Founder of the nonprofit The Gentlemen's Course, who also works to protect youth from being trafficked. AP File Photo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing to acknowledge a problem, but quite another to know what to do about it \u2013 especially when it comes to human trafficking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that it is right in our backyard; it is quite prevalent,\u201d said Alexis Mitchell. \u201cIt\u2019s not just here in the Four Corners region but all over the state of Colorado, as well as the United States and globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell is the community education coordinator of Sexual Assault Services Organization. The grassroots organization in Durango at 701 S. Camino Del Rio, Suite 312 provides support and services to survivors of sexual assault and violence.<\/p>\n

Sexual Assault Services is signing up hair, face and nail salons in the Durango area to participate in a free class designed to prepare people who might interact with victims of the human trafficking industry. The training for workers in the cosmetology field also is being offered around the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we saw and heard of the success rate elsewhere, we decided, \u2018Why not do that here for our community, help our people,\u2019\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of factors about this area that lend themselves to being a kind of a highway, or having a higher frequency of trafficking, such as the agricultural industry, tourist industry, the flow of people on our highways and our airports. There\u2019s a conduit coming through. But the reality is that it is everywhere,\u201d said Laura Latimer, executive director of Sexual Assault Services.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the largest international airport within a 500-mile radius, so all these factors really just make it to where we are a really big hub for all different types of trafficking all throughout the state,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are also very sensitive to the phenomenon of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives, being that we are so close to Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute. Knowing that is happening in our community in those populations, that people are being targeted, we want to be mindful and watching out for these things that happen as well,\u201d Latimer said.<\/p>\n

The free class covers many topics, first explaining what human trafficking is, whether it be child, sex or labor trafficking.<\/p>\n

\u201cA human trafficking survivor can be of any age, any gender, of any lifestyle or background. There are some age groups and demographics in general that are far more at risk, more vulnerable to being targeted sexually,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n

According to the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, which partners with Sexual Assault Services Organization in offering the workshop, cosmetologists are in a unique position to identify potential trafficking situations and offer support and resources to survivors. For some, the salon might be one of the only places they are allowed to go without supervision. For others, their trafficker might be close by, offering suggestions. In either case, cosmetologists can identify and discreetly pass along resources or offer a safe space.<\/p>\n

While the class offers information to raise awareness and help people acknowledge the problem, it also takes steps to offers strategies and resources on how people can become an \u201cactive bystander\u201d and perhaps help someone in a dire situation. The goal is to help people identify what human trafficking looks like, and who to contact in cases where they see red flags.<\/p>\n

Ways to identify potential red flags that may surface at a salon include paying attention to both the client and who is interacting with the client.<\/p>\n

Is the client unable to make eye contact? Is someone being responsible for the cash involved, holding their money and identification?<\/p>\n

Are they not letting the client communicate? Are they saying what somebody\u2019s hair must look like rather than the client being able to speak for themselves? Does the client have numerous inconsistencies around their story?<\/p>\n

Is the person malnourished or injured? Are they claiming to be just visiting the area and don\u2019t know where they are? Any of these, Mitchell said, could potentially be an indicator of child or sex trafficking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe like to use the verbiage, \u2018This could potentially be an indicator,\u2019 it doesn\u2019t always mean someone is being trafficked, but do look out for this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Potential scripts are offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to give them the tools: first look for the indicators and then try to form some script on how to communicate and see if they are in danger and how they can support them.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the past several years, the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking in Denver has visited Durango twice a year to offer similar training to local law enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a pretty good partnership with our local law enforcement,\u201d Latimer said, noting that some in that field have asked Sexual Assault Services for additional training.<\/p>\n

While two hair salons in Durango have signed up to date, Mitchell emphasized that Sexual Assault Services is willing to take the free workshop to other interested salons as well as people in other fields, such as the restaurant industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will also do this for any other type of partner agencies working with at-risk youths, so it\u2019s really for anybody who thinks they have any interactions with this population,\u201d Latimer said.<\/p>\n

To find out more about Sexual Assault Services, the free training for the cosmetology industry or other organizations, contact Alexis Mitchell by calling (970) 259-3074, or by email to alexis@durangosaso.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SASO also offers a free and confidential 24-hour support line at (970) 247-5400 for survivors of sexual violence.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, combathumantrafficking.org, also operates a statewide, 24\/7 human trafficking hot line: call (866) 455-5075 or text \u201cHelp\u201d to (720) 999-9724.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

salon workers in the Four Corners to look for identifying behaviors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3242,950,28,714,1235],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-28631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-abusive-behaviour","tag-durango","tag-headlines","tag-human-interest","tag-ignacio"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28631"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80481,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28631\/revisions\/80481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28631"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=28631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}