January is Human Trafficking Prevention month. Human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery and a global crime, is still very much around today. Human trafficking is when a person is coerced, tricked, or forced into labor services known as “labor or human trafficking”, including commercial sex activities (sex trafficking) without their consent. Human trafficking (labor or sex trafficking) impacts communities regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, or socio-economic status. Every year millions of women, men and children are trafficked or forced into labor or sex acts worldwide and in the United States.
Trafficking does not need to involve the physical movement of the victim. Human trafficking can happen in any community or transnational. Traffickers can be foreign nationals and United States citizens. They can be males and females, family members, intimate partners, acquaintances, and strangers. Traffickers and their victims may also share the same national, ethnic backgrounds which allows the traffickers to better exploit their victims. Traffickers use different tactics like manipulation, fake romantic relationships, including marriage proposition, false promises of well-paying jobs, posing as benefactors, and violence to lure victims who are easy targets. Human trafficking is a lucrative activity, and the third most profitable business for organized crime after drugs and arms trade that nets about $32 billion a year.
Human trafficking is a violent and horrendous crime and business that steals people’s freedom. It is also a public health issue that impacts individuals, families, and communities, and targeting vulnerable, at-risk populations, including those exposed to other forms of violence like child abuse, maltreatment, sexual assault, gang violence, lack of stable support networks, etc. The safety of our communities and human trafficking victims is of great importance. Therefore, people should be educated and made aware of human trafficking and how to prevent it. For more information on human trafficking and what to do to prevent it access
~Bernadine Ahonkhai, ED. D
Founder/CEO, Coalition4Justice
Phone: (215) 588-7509