What even is Human Trafficking Anyways?

Most days I feel as if most things go straight over my head and I have a hard time understanding and even carrying out a cohesive, intelligent conversation on some of the most pressing issues our world is facing today.  On those days I desperately wish I had someone next to to give me a quick low down on what we were talking about, the pros and cons, the different positions, the facts; but a lot of times that person that I really need isn't there.  If that's you and you're ever feeling that way about Human Trafficking here (in a blog post) is your Human Trafficking Lesson 101-- information to get you started on a long journey to understanding this large and complex global issue, that is ever evolving and changing.

The United Nations defines Human Trafficking as, "the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. "

 In short that means human trafficking is specific to situations in which individuals are moved from one place to another using force, fraud or coercion in order to use that individual for purposes related to sexual or labor exploitation.  That force, fraud, or coercion piece is key and is what distinguishes human trafficking from human smuggling ( For more on this distinction follow this link). This means that trafficking can take so many forms including: forced prostitution, forced labor, bonded labor, forced pornographic films, and as a result is an ever pervasive issue that can be difficult to see, and therefore difficult to confront.  Human trafficking focuses on exploiting individuals and it is vital that we understand that.  Contrary to popular opinion, many individuals do not enter into trafficking using their free will (force and coercion) or if they do, don't understand the full ramifications of their decisions (fraud).

Innately, trafficking is a criminal action, and as a result it can be really difficult to track, identify, and rescue both perpetrators and victims of trafficking. This is also why statistics and numbers surrounding trafficking, as well as all other criminal activities are mere estimates and can be really difficult to calculate.  Most organizations including the United Nations and Polaris use a methodology in their estimation to bring numbers into the 20 million range. Other organizations estimate trafficking victims number anywhere from 10-40 million people around the world.

However, if one person is being trafficked, is in slavery, is that not one to many?

 Despite the evidence for the fact that human trafficking is widespread and a world-wide, global issue it can be very easy to forget that anyone can be a victim of trafficking.  Anyone, anywhere can be impacted, and as a result this global issue just got a lot closer to home.

Despite anyone being vulnerable to become victims of trafficking, there certainly trends in who is the most vulnerable, identified by the National Trafficking Hotline, and these are certainly populations in need of extra support and attention when spreading awareness and creating prevention programs.

If you interested in learning more about trafficking, where it happens, and what it involves check out the following resources below, and watch the attached video from the US Department of Homeland Security, Blue Campaign to combat Human Trafficking.

Thanks for reading, and as always keep going out to illuminate the world,

Best,

Jacob




Great Resources and Organizations to Learn More about Human Trafficking: 



Location: 4901 Nelson Rd, Longmont, CO 80503, USA

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