Research about human trafficking helps us gain an understanding of prevalence, risk factors, screening and identification, and response. However, research related to human trafficking has also been hampered by difficulty accessing an often hidden population, variations in definitions based on locations, a lack of evidence-based screening tools, and small sample sizes.
In this section
Case Studies Spotlight on Human Trafficking in America
Sex Trafficking
Kanubhai Patel owned the Riviera Motel. While he never personally recruited or coerced anyone into trafficking, he regularly rented rooms to pimps and traffickers known for forcing women into prostitution. He charged the pimps and traffickers higher rates for their rooms in exchange for his silence. He knew that the women were often beaten, and on at least one occasion, agreed to turn a blind eye to damage caused to a motel room during a beating in exchange for money. He also knew that the pimps and traffickers confiscated the women’s drivers licenses, because they used the licenses to check out the hotel rooms. Patel was the first person in the United States to be convicted of sex trafficking because he financially benefitted from the exploitation as the motel owner.