By EEW Magazine Online // Human Trafficking // Global Issues

It is heartbreaking to know that in America and around the world, daily, millions of women and children are stripped of freedom and forced into sex slavery, domestic servitude, and recruited as child soldiers for war, according to the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act.  

Victims are often lured into a trap by deceptive criminals promising a better life, a decent-paying job, and freedom from the grips of poverty. 

Human trafficking is cruel, disgusting and is a crisis of epidemic proportions that you should know and care about. 

The International Labor Organization calls human trafficking “modern slavery” and estimates that as many as 40.3 million on any given day are exploited, earning traffickers around $150 billion in profits annually. 

It is a massive problem, yet poorly understood. But if we ever hope to combat and reverse this gross and unjust trend, we must be aware of human trafficking and grasp the magnitude of it. 

To do our part to bring awareness and help those who wish to join the fight against this gruesome and inhumane practice, EEW Magazine Online is sharing 4 things to know about human trafficking. 

#1 Victims are often trafficked by people who know them. 

Sometimes, people are kidnapped by strangers and forced into the commercial sex industry. But traffickers are not always strangers. They can be relatives, seemingly friendly neighbors or others that the victim knows and trusts. According to Polaris, a group that runs the National Human Trafficking Hotline, “parents or family members of victims” and “intimate partners” are among the perpetrators.  

#2 Trafficking is a huge problem in America. 

Often, when we think of human trafficking, we think of the atrocities that happen globally in poor countries in the developing world. But human trafficking is a huge problem right here in America, too. The U.S.-based trafficking hotline reports that it has been contacted by 22,326 trafficking victims and survivors in 2019. 14,597 were sex trafficked and 4,934 were victims of labor trafficking. The U.S. State Department said in its 2020 human-trafficking report that some cases of trafficking are not reported due to fears related to immigration crackdowns.  

#3 Gangs and cartels – but also governments – perpetuate trafficking. 

It has long been known by world leaders and politicians that various gangs keep the human trafficking industry alive and thriving. But organized crime isn’t solely to blame. Governments are responsible for heinous crimes against humanity, too. In China, ethnic minorities are forced into labor and work in sweat shops to provide goods to American consumers. In America, though the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished legal slavery in the United States, those in prison can be forced into labor. The mass incarceration of Black Americans equates to modern-day slavery, because corporations run by the government operate in correctional facilities and use prisoners as free or cheap laborers. 

#4 Human trafficking happens in your hometown. 

Many believe that human trafficking means moving victims across borders. But this is not true. According to Catholic Relief Services, “You can be a victim of human trafficking in your hometown.” John Geddert, the head coach of the 2012 U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team, killed himself hours after prosecutors charged him with 24 counts of turning his once-acclaimed Michigan gym into a hub of human trafficking by coercing girls to train there and then abusing them — one sexually. He had worked closely with Larry Nassar, the imprisoned former USA Gymnastics national team doctor who sexually abused hundreds of women and girls by pretending that his perverse actions were a part of their treatment.  

Human trafficking is not a problem “somewhere out there.” It is in our own backyards. But together, we can fight the good fight and make a difference. 

3Strands Global Foundation, an anti-trafficking organization, says, “Anyone can be a trafficker, anyone can be trafficked, but any (one) can be a proponent of freedom. Become (one).” 

To learn more and join the fight, visit www.3strandsglobalfoundation.org.