By Andrea Laisure and Robin Boyle Laisure
C
ults and their connection with human trafficking are
ever more timely as a topic of discussion. The insidious
crime of human trafficking is spiraling at a fast pace.
Human trafficking is the second-largest criminal industry in
the world (with the drug trade being the first).1 An estimated
100,000 to 300,000 American children are considered high
risk for trafficking every year.2 With the selling and reselling of
human labor, trafficking is highly profitable. ICSA’s momentous
conference on Cults and Sex Trafficking, held in Los Angeles,
California (April, 2016), served as a catalyst for researchers and
practitioners. At the conference, presenters compared the
characteristics of cults with human-trafficking rings.
Recent scholarship has explored further the connections
between cults and human trafficking. In particular, Andy Vogler
summed up the proceedings of the Los Angeles conference
in his ICSA Today article “Cults and Sex Trafficking.”3 And in her
article “Employing Trafficking Laws to Capture Elusive Leaders of
Destructive Cults,”4 published in a legal periodical, Robin Boyle
Laisure suggested that the federal statute criminalizing human
trafficking can serve as a vehicle for capturing cult leaders, who
operate similar schemes.
Workshops and discussions related to these topics continued
at ICSA’s Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas (June 2016). Fueled
with information she acquired from attending the Dallas
conference, high-school senior Andrea Laisure launched a series
of presentations to teens and adults in various community
settings. The series, titled Staying Safe, totalled more than 80
hours and earned Andrea a Gold Award for Girl Scout Troop
1128.
In one of her speaking engagements, Andrea copresented at
a panel discussion held October 23, 2016, at the Garden City
Community Church (Long Island, New York). The topic for the
panel discussion was Dangerous Liaisons: The Truth About Campus
Predators, Toxic Relationships, and Commercial Sexual Exploitation
of Teens. Robin Boyle Laisure, JD, professor at St. John’s University
School of Law, served as the moderator. Drawing upon personal
experiences and research, panelists provided practical advice to
teenagers and parents about staying safe from harm. Presenters
were Maureen Griffo, MA, MEd, a former member of a religious-
based cult who now spearheads an educational initiative for the
International Cultic Studies Association, and Stephanie Spanos,
MD, a child psychiatrist who works with teens in clinical settings,
in foster care, and in New York City schools.
On May 7, 2017, Robin and Andrea Laisure copresented with
a speaker from NJ Safe &Sound (njsafeandsound.org) at the
Garden City Community Church on topics concerning human
trafficking, cults, and undue influence. Andrea spoke about her
lobbying efforts with a local state legislator. The NJ Safe &Sound
representative reported success with a bill signed into law that
calls for a study on the effects of predatory alienation, which
often underlies situations of undue influence. The three speakers
then took the presentation to France, where they presented
at the ICSA Annual Conference in Bordeaux on July 1, 2017.
Together, they provided advice for parents, teachers, medical
personnel, and teens on avoiding toxic relationships. The advice
they offered is summarized in the following sections
Warning Signs of a Dangerous Relationship5
Do any of the following telltale signs apply to your relationship
with someone in your life, such as a romantic partner (or friend
or employer)?
• Is your partner controlling where you go, what you
wear, whom you see, and other critical aspects of your
life, such as employment and school?
• Do you suspect that your partner is compulsively lying
or do you feel a need to lie to your partner to avoid
trouble?
• In private or in public, is your partner treating you with
disrespect, or demeaning and insulting you?
Observing Warning Signs of a Dangerous Liaison
6 ICSA TODAY
Safe:
Staying
C
ults and their connection with human trafficking are
ever more timely as a topic of discussion. The insidious
crime of human trafficking is spiraling at a fast pace.
Human trafficking is the second-largest criminal industry in
the world (with the drug trade being the first).1 An estimated
100,000 to 300,000 American children are considered high
risk for trafficking every year.2 With the selling and reselling of
human labor, trafficking is highly profitable. ICSA’s momentous
conference on Cults and Sex Trafficking, held in Los Angeles,
California (April, 2016), served as a catalyst for researchers and
practitioners. At the conference, presenters compared the
characteristics of cults with human-trafficking rings.
Recent scholarship has explored further the connections
between cults and human trafficking. In particular, Andy Vogler
summed up the proceedings of the Los Angeles conference
in his ICSA Today article “Cults and Sex Trafficking.”3 And in her
article “Employing Trafficking Laws to Capture Elusive Leaders of
Destructive Cults,”4 published in a legal periodical, Robin Boyle
Laisure suggested that the federal statute criminalizing human
trafficking can serve as a vehicle for capturing cult leaders, who
operate similar schemes.
Workshops and discussions related to these topics continued
at ICSA’s Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas (June 2016). Fueled
with information she acquired from attending the Dallas
conference, high-school senior Andrea Laisure launched a series
of presentations to teens and adults in various community
settings. The series, titled Staying Safe, totalled more than 80
hours and earned Andrea a Gold Award for Girl Scout Troop
1128.
In one of her speaking engagements, Andrea copresented at
a panel discussion held October 23, 2016, at the Garden City
Community Church (Long Island, New York). The topic for the
panel discussion was Dangerous Liaisons: The Truth About Campus
Predators, Toxic Relationships, and Commercial Sexual Exploitation
of Teens. Robin Boyle Laisure, JD, professor at St. John’s University
School of Law, served as the moderator. Drawing upon personal
experiences and research, panelists provided practical advice to
teenagers and parents about staying safe from harm. Presenters
were Maureen Griffo, MA, MEd, a former member of a religious-
based cult who now spearheads an educational initiative for the
International Cultic Studies Association, and Stephanie Spanos,
MD, a child psychiatrist who works with teens in clinical settings,
in foster care, and in New York City schools.
On May 7, 2017, Robin and Andrea Laisure copresented with
a speaker from NJ Safe &Sound (njsafeandsound.org) at the
Garden City Community Church on topics concerning human
trafficking, cults, and undue influence. Andrea spoke about her
lobbying efforts with a local state legislator. The NJ Safe &Sound
representative reported success with a bill signed into law that
calls for a study on the effects of predatory alienation, which
often underlies situations of undue influence. The three speakers
then took the presentation to France, where they presented
at the ICSA Annual Conference in Bordeaux on July 1, 2017.
Together, they provided advice for parents, teachers, medical
personnel, and teens on avoiding toxic relationships. The advice
they offered is summarized in the following sections
Warning Signs of a Dangerous Relationship5
Do any of the following telltale signs apply to your relationship
with someone in your life, such as a romantic partner (or friend
or employer)?
• Is your partner controlling where you go, what you
wear, whom you see, and other critical aspects of your
life, such as employment and school?
• Do you suspect that your partner is compulsively lying
or do you feel a need to lie to your partner to avoid
trouble?
• In private or in public, is your partner treating you with
disrespect, or demeaning and insulting you?
Observing Warning Signs of a Dangerous Liaison
6 ICSA TODAY
Safe:
Staying
