
You have likely heard the term "human trafficking". It is often a topic on the news and discussed on social media. You may have even seen a movie about it. The media can often portray human trafficking as something that occurs by kidnapping...think white van and stranger danger. Although it can occur in that way, that is not often how it occurs in the United States of America.
Here, the trafficker is often someone the victim knows. This could be a family member, a "friend", a boyfriend/girlfriend, minister, teacher, coach, neighbor...you get the idea. Here, trafficking does not often start as a kidnapping. It starts as a relationship of some sort. Traffickers take the time to learn about people and their vulnerabilities. Anyone can become a victim. Everyone has a vulnerability at some point in their lifetime that can be exploited. Unfortunately, it is often some of our most vulnerable who are targeted...those who have already experienced more abuse, hardships, and hurts in their lifetime than anyone should.
Traffickers take the time to learn about people and often take the time to build trust with potential victims. They look at it like an investment. On average, traffickers make between $150,000-$200,000 per year per victim, and the average number of victims that a trafficer has is 4-5 victims. Traffickers try to determine the needs of a targeted victim that are not being met. They often work to build trust by temporarily meeting those needs so that they can then hold that over the victims head when they start to exploit them.
Due to the relational aspect and the trust that is built initially, victims often do not self-identify as victims of human trafficking. Some may not even know there is such a term, let alone know what it means. Many are trafficked from a young age in the beginning. Many do not self-identify until after quite some time of therapy and/or processing of experiences because of the brainwashing that can occur while being trafficked and/or due to learning how their experiences align with the definition of human trafficking.
I never once thought about being one of those individuals that would later process that human trafficking was part of my experience. I have recently identified some of what I experienced as human trafficking as I listened to an updated training that provided additional examples that quickly had me momentarily frozen (my natural trauma response). This realization obviously did not change the experiences that I had. However, the realization that I have been working as an ally and advocate to victims of human trafficking only to discover that not only am I an advocate but also a survivor has given this month of prevention and awareness an even more personal meaning. Every survivor's story is different; every survivor is unique; every survivor deserves protection, support, resources, healing, and empowerment.
Every single person has a part to play in the fight against human trafficking and/or the healing and restoration of victims. We need you...your action, your influence, your resources, your connections. To discover how you can get involved, please contact me. I would love the opportunity to brainstorm those possiblities with you.
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