Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings,
mainly for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. In
short, it's modern day slavery. [i] We
tend to think of human trafficking as a foreign issue, not something that could
happen here in our own back yards.
But it's a fast-growing problem in the United States, in
every area, with no real defined demographic.[ii]
With human trafficking, there are many myths, but reality can often be quite a
different. Read below to get the true
story:
Myth
1: Under the Federal definition,
trafficked persons can only be foreign nationals (or immigrants from other
countries).
Reality 1: The Federal definition of human
trafficking includes both US citizens and foreign nationals (both are equally protected under the Federal trafficking
statutes). Human trafficking encompasses both transnational trafficking that crosses
borders and domestic or internal trafficking that occurs within a country.
Myth
2: Trafficking is essentially a
crime that must involve some form of travel, transportation, or movement across
state or national borders.
Reality 2: The
legal definition of trafficking does
not include transportation. It is characterized as forced service where
an individual’s will is overwhelmed by the coercion of another individual.
Myth
3: Human trafficking is synonymous
with human smuggling.
Reality 3: There
are many differences between the crimes of human trafficking and human
smuggling. Both are entirely separate Federal crimes in the United States. Smuggling is a crime against a country’s
borders.
Human trafficking is a crime against a person. Smuggling requires illegal border crossing. Human
trafficking involves commercial sex acts, labor, or services that are induced
through force, fraud, or coercion apart from transportation occurring.
Myth
4: There must be elements of
physical restraint, physical force, or physical bondage when identifying a
trafficking situation.
Reality 4: The
legal definition of trafficking does
not require physical restraint, bodily harm, or physical force.
Psychological means of control, such as threats, or abuse of the legal process,
are sufficient elements of the crime.
Myth
5: Victims of trafficking will
immediately ask for help, and will self-identify as the victim of a crime.
Reality 5: Victims of trafficking often do
not immediately seek aid as victims of a crime due
to lack of trust, self-blame, or training by the traffickers. It is important
to avoid making judgment based on the first interviews. Understand that trust
will take time to develop. Continued trust-building and patient interviewing is
often required to get to the whole story.
Myth 6: Trafficking victims always come from situations of
poverty (or from small rural villages).
Reality 6: Although poverty is highly correlated with human trafficking
because it is often an indicator of vulnerability. Poverty is not a universal indicator of a human trafficking victim. Trafficking
victims can come from a range of income levels, and may come from families with
higher socioeconomic status.
Myth
7: Sex trafficking is the only form
of human trafficking.
Reality 7: Elements
of human trafficking can occur in the commercial sex industry as well as in
situations of forced labor with men,
women, adults, and children.
Myth
8: Human trafficking only occurs in
illegal underground industries.
Reality 8: Elements
of human trafficking can be by means of force, fraud, or coercion to persuade a
person to perform sex services or labor
in legal business settings or underground markets.
Myth
9: If the trafficked person was
informed about what type of labor or sex would be involved, then it cannot be
trafficking (or against their will) because they were aware of it.
Reality 9: A victim cannot consent to be in
a situation of human trafficking. Initial
consent is not relevant to the crime (nor is payment).
Myth
10: Foreign trafficking victims are
here in this country illegally.
Reality 10:
These individuals can be in the US through legal or illegal means. A
significant percentage of these people may have legitimate visas. Not all foreign national victims are
undocumented
“Human trafficking is a scourge, a crime against the whole of
humanity. It is time to join forces and work together to free its victims and
to eradicate this crime that affects all of us, from individual families to the
worldwide community.”
(Pope Francis)
If you were in an airport (or anywhere else), and suspected
a stranger of being a human trafficking victim; do you know the warning signs
to look for? Here they are. A human trafficking victim…
1. Is dressed inappropriately for their destination: You
might notice right away that a traveler has few personal items; is dressed
worse than their companions; is wearing
clothes that are the wrong size; are not right for the weather conditions; or
the travel destination.
2. May have a tattoo with a bar code, or the word
"Daddy”: Pimps feel they own their victims and a
barcode tattoo, or a tattoo with "Daddy," or even a man's name could
be a red flag that the person is a victim.
3. Can’t provide details of their departure location,
destination, or flight information: Traffickers often won't tell their victims where they are
being taken to, or even what job they will be performing. Victims usually don't
have the means to get home, or pay for things like food. They must rely on traffickers
in order to get by (forcing them to stay in their bad situation).
4. Communicates as if it is scripted. (There are
inconsistencies with their story): A victim’s story that seems
inconsistent or rehearsed might mean they have been threatened by the
trafficker on what to say instead of the real story.
5. Can't move freely in an airport or on a plane. (They
are being controlled, closely watched, or followed): People being trafficked into
slavery are guarded in travel. A trafficker will try to ensure that the victim
does not escape, or reach out to authorities for help. Fear, intimidation, and
silence are the tools that traffickers use to control victims in slavery.
6. Can be children: A child being trafficked for
sexual exploitation may be dressed in a provocative manner; seem to be under
the influence of drugs or alcohol; appear to be malnourished; shows signs of
physical ill-treatment, or sexual abuse (like bruises, scars, or cigarette
burns).
7.
Can be
rescued: Call either the National Human Trafficking Resource
Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888, or the Hope for Justice at (615) 840-6460,
“Millions of our fellow human beings continue to live as
contemporary slaves, victims of abominable practices like human trafficking,
forced labor and sexual exploitation. Countless children are forced to become
soldiers, work in sweat shops or are sold by desperate families. Women are
brutalized and traded like commodities. Entire households and villages labor
under debt bondage.” (Ban Ki-moon) [iii]
[i] Quote by Jen Lilley
[ii] Quote by Lori Foster
[iii] Resources used for this post:
· “What is Human Trafficking?” (www.heartlandalliance.org)
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