The Truth About Human Trafficking

 The Truth About Human Trafficking

By Theresa Racine

January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, with January 11, being National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The United States of America is ranked among the worst countries globally for human trafficking, according to a recently released report by the U.S. Department of State. In 2018, the top three nations of origin for human trafficking victims were the United States, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Human trafficking has been reported in every state in the United States, yet many individuals seem to perceive it as exclusive to the third world, rather than acknowledging its presence in their own communities and advocating for its eradication, fearing that the involvement may attract unwanted attention into their own personal lives.

Child sex trafficking is a top issue. It is estimated that one in three children are first exposed to social media at the age of 5 or younger, making them vulnerable to online predators. In 2022, there were 88 million child sexual abuse files reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tip line. Traffickers often use online gaming, and fake job opportunities to lure children into trafficking situations. They may also use violence and coercion or manipulation to control their victims. One major thing they do is build trust first and then use psychological warfare on their victim.

There has been a notable surge in human trafficking, specifically involving children. With the crises at the border, it has exacerbated the increase in the trafficking cases, including sex trafficking, organ trafficking, labor trafficking, and child marriages, all which are illegal in the United States. Yet they persist, yielding billions of dollars from exploitation of millions of victims around the world, with an alarming 40.3 million affected. Among them are 25 million in forced labor and 15 million in forced marriages.

The most vulnerable people at risk of becoming victims are those with an unstable living situation, those who have experienced violence, runaways and those in the juvenile justice or child welfare system, undocumented immigrants, those facing poverty or having caregivers with substance abuse issues.

What can we do to help eradicate this problem? See something, say something, do something. There is a hotline that you can call that is anonymous. You will not have to say your name or where you’re calling from. The call might be a bit intimidating, but if you have the information that they are looking for like the address and why you think trafficking is going on, it can be a huge help. They will ask you many questions, but remember they are only doing their job. The National Hotline number is 888-373-7888. You can also text info 233733, or make reports on the website: www.humantraffickinghotline.org

You also can raise awareness by spreading the word in your community, supporting anti-trafficking organizations, volunteering, taking classes, and helping encourage policy change. Advocate for laws and policies that help prevent human trafficking. You might want to consider limiting your purchases that might be connected to trafficking, particularly labor trafficking. Report child exploitation no matter what. Call 911 if you suspect an emergency; do not assume! Having a conversation with your children at home is also important. If you need help or want materials or would like me to speak at an event, feel free to contact me at: xtrememeasuregold@gmail.com. Let’s be the change we need to see.

Related post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *