West Palm Beach — The devil didn't come to Katariina Rosenblatt with horns and pitchfork, but wearing a red bikini, she said.
Recalling the first time she was recruited into a human trafficking ring, Rosenblatt told her harrowing story Friday, in a tale that begins when she was 13 in the mid-1980s. She was living with her mom at a Miami Beach hotel after escaping an abusive situation at home.
One day, a woman, 19, approached her by the pool. The woman lasered in on Rosenblatt's insecurities, showering her with love and friendship.
It would take about a month before the woman and her associates would try to sell Rosenblatt to a man, 65, who wanted to buy her virginity for $500. Rosenblatt escaped, but would again be lured into another trafficking ring a few months later.
"How did I get recruited? Just by being an innocent, vulnerable child," said Rosenblatt, now president of her Coral Springs-based anti-trafficking organization, There is Hope For Me.
On Friday, she was speaking to a roomful of anti-human trafficking advocates and experts such as herself, as well as law enforcement, prosecutors and legislators, who gathered at the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.
Convened by U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, the meeting was an opportunity for stakeholders involved in the local fight against human trafficking — described by Frankel as "modern-day slavery."
They were there to share their knowledge, experience and advice with the first-term congresswoman, who said she didn't know the magnitude of the issue until a recent meeting of the House Committee of Foreign Affairs, on which she serves.
"It is shocking to know the level of incidents around the world," said Frankel, who represents a district stretching from Riviera Beach to Fort Lauderdale. "It is a big, booming business."
Friday's meeting ended with Frankel saying afterward that she was encouraged by the efforts of local officials, but also aware of the "gap" in resources — such as housing and treatment — for victims after they are rescued. She said she would try to help in whatever way she can from the federal level.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said his office is looking at several ways to fight trafficking, including the ability to potentially identify defendants in their first court appearances who display signs of being trafficking victims.
"It's a clear and present danger in our community right now," Aronberg said. "This is a top priority for this office."
Also at the table was state Rep. Dave Kerner, D-Lake Worth, who earlier this year spearheaded legislation to more strictly regulate massage establishments, viewed by law enforcement as potential sites for sex trafficking. Gov. Rick Scott signed that bill last month.
"Though it's been going on for a while, our communities are starting to realize what the reality is," Kerner said.
