National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is recognized annually on January 11th. To spread awareness, our program has decided that an article would be fitting. Human trafficking is very serious worldwide, but especially in the United States, with over half of existing victims being here. Children and women are some of the higher targeted groups, and considering we work with young girls, we find it appropriate to spread awareness and speak on human trafficking. When we travel to different states, we will also have someone speaking to our girls about this topic.

What is human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is the use of exploitation (force, coercion, fraud, manipulation, threats, etc.) to get a person to do labor or commercial sex against their will. There are two types of trafficking: forced labor and sex trafficking. Human trafficking happens worldwide, even in the United States. Traffickers don't usually discriminate: their victims can be any age, social class, gender, or race. "Forced labor could begin during the worker's recruitment process to force the acceptance of the job, to deceive the worker into an exploitative job, or to create a situation of debt bonding by charging recruitment fees that are virtually impossible for the workers to repay" (Blue Campaign). Once the victim has the job, the employer may manipulate them into doing things not listed in the job description. They also may be held hostage in a way by the job, not allowed to leave.

Manipulation, violence, and romantic relationships can be used to lure victims into trafficking. Some victims may not be able to identify themselves as victims or ask for help due to the high levels of trauma. Recognizing key signs of trafficking is the first step to identifying a victim, and can help save a life. "Trafficking is often a hidden crime," and it is not the same as smuggling; smuggling is the consensual movement of a person across a border that violates immigration laws.

Who is targeted?

Traffickers look for people who can be easy victims: usually in a vulnerable position. This can mean "psychological or emotional vulnerability, economic hardship, lack of a social safety net, natural disasters, [and/or] political instability" (Blue Campaign). Other things that can make a person more vulnerable are unstable immigration status, language barriers, and disabilities. Children are also very vulnerable.

Statistics

"A study by the National Institute of Justice found that 71% of those experiencing forced labor in the United States entered the country on lawful H-2A and H-2B visas" (Blue Campaign). As of 2020, majority of domestic labor trafficking was with the "other" group, including restaurant, food service, hospitality, etc. (56%). The next highest percentage was domestic work (19%), followed by agriculture (7.80%). As of 2022, 35 million people were victims of sex trafficking everyday. The industry had an estimated $99 billion market value: the highest ever. "Almost 20% of all victims [were] children" (Pressat), and online recruitment increased by 22% during the pandemic. North America held 52.36% of the world's sex trafficking victims, with 84% of that being females, 15% being males, and 1% being transgender. According to CTDC the highest percentage of female victims are in the 18-20 year old age group. "Approximately one fifth of all identified victims are children" (CTDC), and one third of identified children entered the industry when they were between the ages of 15-17. Over 50% of female victims are between the ages of 15-17, and about 40% of male victims are under the age of 12. "Over 40% of children were recruited by a family member or relative" (CTDC).

How to identify it

A list of key indicators are below, provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Blue Campaign.

Does the person appear disconnected from family, friends, community organizations, or houses of worship?	​Does the person show signs of having been denied food, water, sleep, or medical care?
Has a child stopped attending school?	​Is the person often in the company of someone to whom he or she defers? Or someone who seems to be in control of the situation, e.g., where they go or who they talk to?
​Has the person had a sudden or dramatic change in behavior?	Does the person appear to be coached on what to say?
Is a juvenile engaged in commercial sex acts?	Is the person living in unsuitable conditions?
Is the person disoriented or confused, or showing signs of mental or physical abuse?	Does the person lack personal possessions and appear not to have a stable living situation?
Does the person have bruises in various stages of healing?	Does the person have freedom of movement? Can the person freely leave where they live? Are there unreasonable security measures?
Is the person fearful, timid, or submissive?

"Not all indicators above are present in every human trafficking situation, and the presence or absence of any of the indicators is not necessarily proof of human trafficking" (Blue Campaign).

A victim could fall into debt during recruitment, then to have an employer who unexpectedly takes out money from their paycheck. If a person seems to be monitored when interacting with other people, are living in dangerous/overcrowded areas provided by their employer, or are isolated (physically or culturally), it could potentially indicate their status as a victim of forced labor. Indicators of a false job promise could include payment and job description not matching, the employer not asking about previous work experience, the employer asking a lot of irrelevant personal questions, the employer requesting a substantial fee to cover costs of uniforms or other expenses, and/or the employer asking you to keep the job a secret or to lie about your age.

A list of key indicators of an exploitative relationship are below, provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Blue Campaign.

​Demands that you tell them where you are at all times.	Makes you feel unsafe to be around them.
​Makes you ask for permission to leave the home or to socialize with others.	​Provides you with financial support that requires you to ask for money when you need it.
​Limits your communication with friends, family, and loved ones.	​Makes you work at a job where you do not receive your own paycheck.
Threatens to hurt you or your loved ones if you don’t do what they say.	​Forces you to perform sex acts for them or others for money or in exchange for other items of value, like drugs.
Holds on to your identification cards, other personal documents, or money.

What to do

• Call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) to report suspicious criminal activity to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tip Line, open 24/7/365.

• Get help from the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) by calling 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733).

• Don't try to confront a suspected trafficker directly, or tell the victim you are suspicious.

• "Law enforcement can connect victims to services such as medical and health care, shelter, job training, and legal assistance that restore[s] their freedom and dignity."

• The Blue Campaign encourages anyone with social media to take pictures of themselves and/or people they know wearing blue and share them with the #WearBlueDay hashtag.

• You can download or order the Blue Campaign indicator card (a small plastic card with the common signs of trafficking and how to report them).

• Practice internet safety.

• View the Blue Campaign's upcoming events here.

Stories

Below are three human trafficking stories. To read more, click here.

In Oxon Hill, Md., a 12 year old runaway asked a man for his help in finding a place to stay. Instead of helping her, the man forced the girl into commercial sex trade. He held her captive for over 3 months, forcing her to have sex for money multiple times a day. "Rescuing the victim and successfully prosecuting the perpetrator was the result of collaborative efforts by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations' (HSI) National Gang Unit (NGU) with assistance from the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force" (Blue Campaign).

From 2008-2010 in Chicago, a man recruited and groomed three women from other countries, offering them jobs, shelter, and a romantic relationship. Once he had their trust, he took their passports and identity documents, then "forced them to work long hours, often beating, mentally abusing, extorting, and sexually exploiting them" (Blue Campaign).

In 2001, former citizen of Nigeria traveled back to her home country and got a 17-year-old girl to come to the U.S. to be her nanny. "Once here, she abused the girl, beating her for not cleaning well, for not responding fast enough to her crying child, and for talking back to her" (Blue Campaign). After the victim escaped, the lady went back to Nigeria for a second victim, repeating the process. "The case was investigated by HSI, the FBI and the State Department's Diplomatic Security Services... [and] the defendant was prosecuted and convicted on eight counts by a federal jury" (Blue Campaign).

Conclusion

Human trafficking, as seen above, is a very big issue. However, we can teach our young girls about it and protect them from potential traffickers. Sadly, the world we live in today makes it very hard to put trust into people or organizations. However, we hope that GRIP can be a wonderful place to expose our young girls to the world, and teach them how to be safe while still enjoying life.

Works Cited

1) https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/wearblueday

2) https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking

3) https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/forced-labor

4) https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/identify-victim

5) https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/indicators-human-trafficking

6) https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/human-interest-stories

7) https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/myths-and-misconceptions

8) https://www.dhs.gov/bluecampaign/protect-yourself

9) https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/upcoming-events

10) https://pressat.co.uk/releases/sex-trafficking-statistics-2022-worldwide-research-9a4c4aeae08f15bccd55ae194672d203/

11) https://www.ctdatacollaborative.org/story/age-victims-children-and-adults#:~:text=Age%20of%20victims%20(IOM%20only)&text=The%20average%20age%20for%20IOM,who%20are%20born%20into%20trafficking.