Human Trafficking? Not in My Backyard!

By Allison Crowe, Co-Founder of See the Triumph

This month, See the Triumph is focusing on human trafficking. Human trafficking is defined as the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with an ultimate aim of exploitation. Sex is just one aspect of trafficking, and forced labor, slavery, and servitude are other forms of this disturbing and growing activity. One startling fact is that human trafficking brings in an estimated $32 billion a year and is tied with arms dealing as the second largest criminal industry in the world; illegal drugs is the largest (http://nightlightinternational.com/resources/facts-about-trafficking/). Unfortunately, human trafficking occurs most frequently with women and children. Young women are often lured by perpetrators with the promise of a modeling, acting, or nanny position.

Not In My Backyard:  One of the common attitudes out there about human trafficking is that it is a problem only outside of the United States. Many Americans view the issue as happening in places like Thailand, Russia, Asia, or Singapore - certainly not in our own backyards. The truth is human trafficking is happening everywhere.  In our own communities - big cities, small towns, east, west, north, and south. Human trafficking is very common in the United States. In an article from Psychology by Dr. Wendy Patrick, the following statistics go to show just how big of a problem it is in our own backyards:

• Roughly 200,000 women annually are forced into sex trafficking in the United States
• Approximately 300,000 children are at risk of being prostituted in the United States. (U.S. Department of Justice)
• The average age of entry into prostitution for a child victim in the United States is 13-14 years old. (U.S. Department of Justice)
• Fewer than 100 beds are available in the United States for underage victims. (Health and  Services)
• The Department of Justice has identified the top twenty human trafficking jurisdictions in  country: Houston, El Paso, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, Miami, Las Vegas, New York,  Long Island, New Orleans, Washington, D.C.,  Philadelphia, Phoenix, Richmond, San Diego, San Francisco, St Louis, Seattle, and Tampa

Today I urge all of you to consider what you can do in your own communities to raise awareness and fight against human trafficking. Here are a few resources where you can find information and support.

1. The Polaris Project is a wonderful resource with a wealth of information on human trafficking. One particular component that I like is their US map, where you can click on your state and access local resources: http://www.polarisproject.org/state-map
2. In addition, they also have a link to find your state laws about human trafficking: http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/policy-advocacy/national-policy/state-ratings-on-human-trafficking-laws
3. If you suspect human trafficking call or text the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888.
4. Connect to Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons blog, Twitter, RSS, FB, or email listserv:  http://www.state.gov/j/tip/
5. Educate yourself and others by visiting the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LACHT)’s suggested resources webpage: http://www.combathumantrafficking.org/resources/suggested-resources

Let’s take some time in June to focus on this issue. Unfortunately, it is happening in our own communities, so it’s up to us to educate ourselves and each other about human trafficking and ways to end it, one backyard at a time.

Take our Causes pledge to send the message: "Human Trafficking? Not in MY Backyard!" at the following link: