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BRIDGET HALL GRUMETA coalition of federal and state agencies attempts to find victims of "modern day slavery," often immigrants, so they can end the abuses.
At first, David Gray thought the Tampa man was a godsend. When Gray needed to find a home for two Albanian refugees, ages 15 and 18, the man agreed to take them in and find them jobs.
Only later did Gray, director of the local World Relief affiliate that helps refugees, discover the man was paying the boys $750 a month to sell flowers on the street, then charging them $750 a month for their room and board.
Gray snatched the boys out of the home 13 years ago, not realizing it would be one of his first encounters with human trafficking in America.
"We've been working through this situation without really realizing the magnitude of it," Gray said.
With the federal government beefing up its efforts to fight human trafficking - the forced use of immigrants as prostitutes, field laborers or other workers - officials visited the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County on Thursday to raise awareness of the issue.
"This is modern day slavery," said Andy Blom, a consultant hired by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to promote Rescue and Restore, a program for helping victims of human trafficking.
Blom said roughly 20,000 forced workers are smuggled into the United States every year, but only 600 have escaped with the help of various agencies. Often they live in fear of captors hurting them or their families if they try to leave, he said.
The Tampa Bay area is one of several metropolitan areas where the feds are seeking help from local agencies to find victims of human trafficking. Gray of World Relief is spearheading the efforts among local agencies to help victims.
The toll-free national trafficking information and referral hotline is 1-888-3737-888.
Bridget Hall Grumet covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is hall@sptimes.com