By Betsy Brewer Brantner
Contributing Writer

In 2012, Peggy Ann Russell held her first meeting to educate the community of Oxford about the dangers of about human trafficking. Up until then, many people in the community believed trafficking didn’t happen in this country, and certainly not in a nice, small town like Oxford.

Russell explained how she became more informed about the dangers of human trafficking in the modern world.

“I owe my education on this subject to the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Baltimore,” Russell said. “I heard a talk given by a survivor and read the material that the Sisters had given us. I was immediately struck by the fact that Interstate 95 is approximately 9 miles from Oxford. I learned that it was very common for traffickers to move men, women and children up and down I-95 from Baltimore to New York, Washington and Florida to sell and resell victims. If those traffickers are alerted that the police are looking for them, they can jump off  I-95 and stop in at Oxford. They might have lunch at McDonalds and then get back on Route 1 and continue their trip. And no one would be the wiser.”

According to the Sisters of Notre Dame website: “Trafficking” or  “modern slavery,” or “trafficking in persons,” or “human trafficking” have been used as terms for the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.

Human trafficking can include, but does not require, movement. People may be considered trafficking victims regardless of whether they were born into a state of servitude, were exploited in their hometown, were transported to the exploitative situation, previously consented to work for a trafficker, or participated in a crime as a direct result of being trafficked. At the heart of this phenomenon is the traffickers’ goal of exploiting and enslaving their victims and the myriad coercive and deceptive practices they use to do so.

Trafficking should not be confused with smuggling, which is the illegal movement of a person across a border with their consent.

It is estimated that there are 20 million to 30 million human beings who are enslaved in the world today. The International Labor Organization states that human trafficking is a $150 billion industry. Thousands of victims are trafficked within and through Canada and the United States annually.”

Russell said, “The important thing to remember is that people are trafficking men, women and children, and it does happen in our little town. It is hard to talk about this subject and that may be why people had to be educated on the subject.”

Russell continued, “They are not just selling them for one night. They are selling them over and over on the same night and sadly that includes: men, women and children. You can only sell drugs once, but you can sell a human body over and over and over.”

For 13 years, Russell has been bringing in speakers to discuss human trafficking so that local residents can be educated about the issue. The speakers have included human-trafficking victims, attorneys and people that work with the victims to help them escape from trafficking and reclaim their lives.

“It is not easy to listen to any of the speakers, but the people in the community have been very receptive to learning,” Russell said. “Our attendance after COVID did decline, but our email list grew. The younger generation has many different ways to meet traffickers and it may not be face-to-face. Social media gives traffickers a whole new platform to meet their next victims.” 

She continued, “People of any age are transported to farms to work for next to nothing. They are trafficked to nail salons and massage salons, restaurants, and to work in factories and in fields. Then they are taken back to where they stay. They are charged for food and transportation, and after those expenses are taken from their pay, there is often very little, if anything, left.”

In other cases, victims are promised citizenship and money and receive nothing in return.

Educating more people and more communities is working, and this effort can be clearly seen in various ways.

For instance, when Oxford suffered a terrible fire two years ago, 20 families were displaced.

Russell and others knew it was important to find them lodging in a safe hotel and thankfully volunteers worked with the fire victims and checked on them daily to make sure they would be safe. That particular hotel’s employees had been educated about human trafficking and the signs to watch for. That does not happen in all hotels.

Even workers in transit systems are now being trained to see the signs of trafficking.

The New Jersey Transit System released the following message: “As we prepare to welcome the world to New Jersey for the FIFA World Cup 2026, we are reaffirming our commitment to the public to provide safe transportation. We are continuing a system-wide anti-human trafficking awareness campaign. Most large sporting events can result in an increase in persons being trafficked in that area. Strengthening laws to empower transportation personnel and the public to identify and report trafficking, especially with events like the 2026 World Cup increasing risks, is important. Key efforts include new legislation for TNC driver training, public education on buses and at stations, and leveraging partnerships with agencies like Homeland Security for better resources and models.”

January 2 was proclaimed as Human Trafficking Awareness Day.  That, in itself, is testament to how ideas on human trafficking have changed.

Russell explained, “Thirteen years ago, when a group of residents met at the Union Fire House to listen to a member of the Maryland Task Force on Human Trafficking educate us about the horrors of trafficking, many thought it only happened in other countries.  When the reality settled it at the end of the session, participants asked, ‘What do we do next?’”

Russell continued, “They began to meet monthly in the basement of the Oxford Library. We outgrew the space that was available at the time, and moved to the Oxford Senior Center.  We continued to have guest speakers, we initiated a Holiday Gift Collection to provide for the restorative home residents that are in the area.  We are named ACE, which stands for Advocating, Collaborating and Educating. We Advocated for victims, we Collaborated with other agencies, and we Educated community members through the speakers, our presence at local expos and festivals, and by distributing fliers with websites and the toll free number 888-3737-8888. 

Russell explained that over the last couple years, since Covid-19, attendance has fallen.  Now people are hearing about human trafficking in the news headlines on TV drama shows, in movies, and children are being educated in school. 

“I feel we are no longer necessary,” Russell said of the ACE group. “The members who attended and worked the Holiday Gift Collection in December reviewed the work, and looked at the future, including how a younger generation uses different methods of communicating, organizing and accomplishing their goals.  It was agreed that ACE would dissolve. We have accomplished our mission.”

Russell thanked all volunteers for 13 years of advocating, collaborating and educating. Two of those faithful participants had this to say about their own education on trafficking.

“I had no idea that human trafficking was a problem in our area until I became involved in ACE,” Mary Miller explained. “I think we helped the community become educated and aware of this issue, and as you know, a few years ago, we had quite a few active members, including students from Lincoln University. We accomplished our mission of bringing this topic to the community’s attention. I’m glad I was a part of ACE and know we’ve had a positive impact in the area.”

Diana Stuckey concurred. She said, “Like many people, I had no clue about trafficking. I thought it happened in another country. I have an all-new appreciation for survivors. They had to be so strong to survive. Sadly, people really didn’t understand the sex trafficking and prostitution. No one wakes up one day and decides they want to be a prostitute. We heard a story from one survivor who was trafficked by her boyfriend. It takes so much courage just to talk about it. Don’t be afraid to call Polaris at the human trafficking hotline 888-373-7888.”

When Russell was asked if she was going to stay involved in the effort to raise awareness about human trafficking in any way, she explained, “Yes, I’m joining the Human Trafficking  Committee of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in the Atlantic-Midwest Province. The Sisters found out last summer that I wouldn’t be serving on borough council and asked me if I would stay involved, and of course I said yes.”

Russell knew when she started the effort to educate the community about the dangers of human trafficking, no one thought it could happen in this happy, little rural community of Oxford

“The sad truth is it does,” Russell said. “It can be your neighbor. It can be someone you see every day.”

Books such as Carol Metzger’s “Facing The Monster” have been written about the topic of human trafficking. It may not be an easy read, but it is so worth reading.

“I am confident there is such an awareness now,” Russell said. The awareness is pervasive in communities large and small throughout the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security has information about it and what they have done on their website.

Numerous cases have been successfully litigated in court and traffickers have been found guilty, such as one in the Eastern District of Virginia. Six defendants were sentenced to a combined 81 years in prison for their roles in the sex trafficking of a minor victim and an adult. Even in the town of Oxford, the Oxford Police Department has uncovered cases involving human trafficking.

Communities like the Borough of Oxford have changed ordinances to reduce the possibilities of human trafficking in the community.

Thirteen years ago, no one believed human trafficking would happen here. It did. It does. And, thanks to the ACE organization, many more people are aware of the dangers and the sad realities of human trafficking. If you suspect human trafficking, don’t be afraid to call Polaris at the Human Trafficking Hotline 888-373-7888. You can save someone from being a victim with just one phone call.