28/22 NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — Human trafficking is a crime hidden in plain sight happening all across the country.
Many people know the general definition of what it is but for 31-year-old Lacey Goldsmith it’s a horrific part of her life story dating back to 2015.
“I spent two and a half years being trafficked in between Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida.” . . . “Going through you know just some unspeakable things with where I was subjected, the violence.”
Organizations stepping up to help following EBT skimming28/22 News first met Goldsmith back in 2022 where she spoke about a sting operation by the Monroe County District Attorney’s office that freed her from her trafficker in 2018.
At the time she was still adjusting to being reunited with her family, but she says she continues to share her story so nobody else goes through what she experienced.
“Everybody thinks, ‘Oh yeah, these girls are potentially on drugs. They’re this, they’re that, and I was not on drugs and I was definitely not the stereotypical human trafficking victim that people think of.”
Goldsmith’s trafficker used the tactic of grooming, where they build trust in order to manipulate victims.
She became pregnant during those years. Her trafficker used her newborn child as a way to keep her from leaving.
“I did have quite a few hospital visits, I had interactions with law enforcement, and then you know between the hotel hopping and just the fact that he isolated me from any of the other patrons at the hotels, you know just the traffic in and out of the rooms.”
January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and as a mom to a 12, 7, and 3-year-old, Goldsmith says everyone needs to have conversations about trafficking, stating that technology is also a huge factor for kids.
“In the whole scheme of him being 12 years old and the internet, it’s so easy for somebody to say, ‘oh, you’re this age from here? Oh me too, we should meet up.’”
Prioritizing her family and stable job, Goldsmith says she’ll continue to spread awareness.
“I was your typical small-town girl. Had a great childhood and it, you know, happened to me, so it can definitely happen to anybody.”
If you suspect someone you know is being trafficked you can call the National human trafficking hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Since its inception, it has identified more than 100-thousand cases of human trafficking. With nearly 200,000 victims involved.