January was Human Trafficking Awareness Month. However, this topic is a conversation that is important to have year-round, not just during the awareness month. It is not easy to consider how close to home human trafficking is, as like many forms of abuse, human trafficking is more common than we think. While people may believe that human trafficking does not occur all that often in the United States, this is not true. Human trafficking does occur in the United States, in cities, suburbs, and in rural communities (U.S. Department of Homeland Security [DHS], n.d.). The more awareness is shed on the issue, the more assistance and resources can be provided to survivors.

But what is human trafficking, exactly? Human trafficking is the exploitation of people through the use of force, fraud, or coercion in order to make them perform labor or commercial sex acts (DHS, n.d.). It impacts people of all ages, genders, and socioeconomic statuses. As many as “10,359 situations of human trafficking were reported to the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline involving 16,554 individual victims. Shocking as these numbers are, they are likely only a fraction of the actual problem” (Polaris Project, n.d.). In fact, it is estimated that as many as 3 million children are being trafficked worldwide as we speak (Love146, n.d.).

Human trafficking is often confused with kidnapping or “human smuggling”, which refers to the transportation of people over borders. However, recruitment into human trafficking can occur in someone’s own home and someone’s trafficker is more often someone they do know and trust (Polaris Project, n.d.). Human trafficking is not always done by a stranger. A person’s romantic partner or even their family could be the one trafficking them. This can occur in many ways, and it is not always tied to commercial sex, either. This recruitment is not necessarily physically violent, as it can occur through false promises or other forms of manipulation. Here are some examples of trafficking scenarios (Polaris Project, n.d.).:

  • An individual who is undocumented is recruited into labor trafficking by a boss and is not being properly compensated. When they try to leave the job, their boss (trafficker) threatens to report them to ICE if they try to quit.
  • A person (trafficker) asks their significant other to engage in sexual acts with friends or acquaintances in exchange for money. The significant other does not receive any of the money from their trafficker and is told lies such as “the money is being saved,” in order to get them to stay.
  • A homeless teenager is recruited by a trafficker who guarantees housing, food, clothing, and security in exchange for sex acts.
  • A trafficker offers free drugs to someone who is experiencing addiction. Eventually, the trafficker says the person has to perform sex acts for money in order to receive the drugs.

With these examples in mind, it is important to indicate that sex trafficking and commercial sex work are not the same. Adults consenting in sex work of their own free will, without threat, coercion, or exploitation is not the same as some of the above examples. Furthermore, if a minor is involved, it is ALWAYS automatically considered sex trafficking and sexual abuse. There is no such thing as a “child prostitute” (Polaris Project, n.d.).

 Human trafficking is rooted in exploitation and control. It can be difficult for an individual to escape the situation. Sometimes this is due to safety concerns and other times, this could look like an individual relying on their trafficker for survival or even feeling love for their trafficker. It can be difficult to differentiate trafficking from fraud or exploitation (Polaris Project, n.d.). Generally, human trafficking follows the Action-Means-Purpose “AMP” model, which helps explain the means that someone enters human trafficking, is misled/coerced into the situation, and is not free to leave (Polaris Project, n.d.).

  • “A” stands for Action, which refers to the action a trafficker takes to incentivize recruitment.
    • Example: A trafficker says they will help a family member who is struggling to pay rent.
  • “M” stands for Means, which refers to the force, fraud, or coercion used.
    • Example: The trafficker decides there is “interest” on the money that they are giving the family member for rent, and says the family member must pay this back or else they will no longer help them.
  • “P” stands for Purpose, which refers to the trafficker’s goal (getting victim into sex or labor trafficking).
    • Example: The trafficker sets up the family member to engage in sex for money to pay back the money and the interest. The trafficker planned from the start to sex traffick the family member to make money.

If you or someone you know is experiencing human trafficking, there are ways to get help and it is never your fault. The Polaris Project and Love146 are anti-human trafficking organizations with more information to help.

There is also the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which is 24/7 and confidential:

1-888-373-7888 | TTY: 711 | Text* 233733

References:

Love146. (n.d.). Learn. Retrieved on January 31, 2025 from https://love146.org/learn/

Polaris Project. (n.d.). Human Trafficking Facts. Retrieved on January 31, 2025 from https://polarisproject.org/myths-facts-and-statistics/

U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). What is Human Trafficking? Blue Campaign. Retrieved on January 31, 2025 from https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/identify-victim

Written by: Shayna Smith