The Facts

In this video, we will discuss the major concepts you need to know about Human Trafficking. We will define Human Trafficking and discuss how human trafficking affects you and those around you. By the end of this video, you will have a foundation of knowledge about Human Trafficking.

To talk about human trafficking, we first have to understand what it is and who it affects. Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some kind of labor or commercial sex act. In simple terms, human trafficking is exploitation of someone for the profit or benefit of someone else. There are many forms of human trafficking, but we will discuss two of the most common forms- sex and labor trafficking. Sex trafficking is forcing a person to participate in commercial sex acts for the perpetrator’s personal or monetary benefit. While labor trafficking is forcing a person to work in dangerous conditions for little to no pay through threats or economic abuse. Both of these types of Human Trafficking happen everywhere around the world, including the United States.

Many view Human Trafficking as an issue that rarely occurs in the United States or other first-world countries, but that’s simply untrue. Human Trafficking is a growing issue within the states that we all must be aware of. It is difficult to find concrete statistics about Human Trafficking due to the nature of the problem. However, the Human Trafficking Hotline received over 13,000 signals from victims of Human Trafficking just in 2021. 22.7% of which were minors.  Since its creation in 2007, the United States’ National Human Trafficking Hotline has identified over 87,000 cases of human trafficking with nearly 165,000 victims.

The International Labor Organization and the Walk Free Foundation estimate that there are over 27.5 million people trafficked each year.  For comparison the country of Madagascar has a population of 28 million people and ranks 51 out of 195 countries in population size around the world. 

You might be thinking that this could never happen to you, but anyone can be a victim of human trafficking. 

There is no single profile for victims, victims range from all classes, races, sexes, or citizenship status. Although, there are some things that make individuals more vulnerable. People living in poverty or with unstable housing conditions are often more vulnerable to trafficking because they are more easily lured by the promise of monetary compensation or a safe place to live. Your peers who have run away from home are vulnerable; a common example of how they get lured is because they fear to sleep on the streets, and a trafficker will offer shelter and then recruit them into trafficking. Youth in the foster care system, have been to juvenile detention centers, or experience mental health issues are also more at risk. Human trafficking comes in many different forms and affects all kinds of people. 

Raising awareness of the signs of human trafficking and how to prevent it is the first step in eradicating the issue altogether and ensuring we can keep our friends, families, and peers safe. This curriculum will be your first step in taking action against human trafficking and making your community a safer place.

Now it's time for our first Traffick cues! Traffick cues are the most important points you should take away from this chapter! They are to cue you into the world of human trafficking. 

Number one: Be cautious of the people you surround yourself with: certain relationships, circumstantial life events, etc. can come to heighten vulnerability. A large percentage of human trafficking, moreover, along with varying forms of manipulation and extortion may come from people close to you.

Number two: Sex trafficking can have many forms, not only forced prostitution but any sexual exploitation for personal or monetary benefit – it can exist online as well as in person.

Number three: Human trafficking can affect anyone and everyone – there isn’t one particular trait or characteristic that will shield you from falling victim to HT.