Human trafficking is all around us: this is how to identify it
WRITER’S NOTE: After many years volunteering for human trafficking organizations alongside writing professional materials for one of the largest anti-trafficking groups in the world, I’ve learned my fair share about the complexities and little-known facts associated with human trafficking globally. Below is my short, straight-to-the-point guide on generally accepted trafficking statistics and how to identify trafficking in your own community (and before you think to yourself: “I live in America, there isn’t any trafficking in my community!” just know that unfortunately, you’re wrong. Human trafficking is taking place in nearly every community on earth, and especially in America. Even if you live in one of the few communities that has avoided trafficking thus far, I can almost guarantee that the clothes you are wearing at this very moment and the groceries you are consuming for lunch were made and harvested at the hands of the trafficked). I’m not oblivious to the fact that this issue is extremely painful for most of us to think about, but I know that this conversation is much-needed if we are going to see lasting change happen in the anti trafficking movement. Without further ado, here’s how to identify and report a human trafficking case, as taught to me by some of the world’s largest anti-trafficking organizations.
Every 1 in 200 people around the globe is a victim of human trafficking.
70% of those victims are women and young girls.
SCOPE & STATS
Human trafficking is a widespread global crisis that affects nearly every country, region, and community in the world, and is one of the leading causes of exploitation worldwide with devastating consequences for millions of victims. To date, more people are enslaved today than in the cumulative timeline of human history. The scope of the issue is truly unimaginable, and the complexity of the problem is still being discovered by anti human trafficking advocates around the globe.
Human trafficking as set out by the United Nations is defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by means of threat, force, abduction, fraud, or other forms of coercion. In nearly all trafficking cases there is an abuse of power through controlling the victim for the purposes of exploitation, which provides the one in power financial benefit.
With this definition in place, that means that every 1 in 200 people is a slave, globally.
Statistics surrounding trafficking are often clouded as various organizations around the world differ in their numbers when it comes to the scope and scale of the problem. Despite this confusion, there are a few generally accepted estimations and statistics regarding the issue of human trafficking:
It is estimated that anywhere between 24.9 million and 40.3 million people are held in modern slavery today.
Over 70% of detected human trafficking victims are women and girls, and roughly 1 in 4 victims are children.
Human Trafficking is the fastest growing organized crime in the world.
Human trafficking generates an estimated revenue of USD $150.2 billion per year. This places Human trafficking as the second most profitable organised crime in the world, only behind the illicit drug trade.
Many victims are exploited to produce the products we use, with the top 5 industries at risk of human trafficking being: technology, clothing, fish, cocoa, and sugarcane.
If you combined the estimated earnings made on human trafficking and the at-risk products imported by the 20 biggest economies in the world alone, human trafficking is the most profitable crime in the world at 504 Billion dollars a year and still, that is just the tip of the iceberg.
HOW TRAFFICKING MANIFESTS GLOBALLY
There are many types of human traffickng that exist (such as forced criminality, child soldiers, forced marriage, etc.) but the two main forms seen throughout the world are sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Despite these seemingly self-explainable categories, trafficking looks vastly different when looking by a case-by-case basis, and especially looks different depending on where you are in the world.
Nuances in language, culture, politics, and location make for a wide variety of recruitment tactics, which can make spotting a trafficking scenario even more difficult to the untrained bystander.
In light of trafficking’s regional variations, one must become deeply familiar with one’s own surroundings in order to properly identify a case of human trafficking. The following questions are just the beginning of the kind of familiarity one should have with their own community when attempting to differentiate cases of trafficking from normal, everyday community occurrences.
What are the most common languages spoken in your area?
What are the main industries of your community? (Example: agriculture, fashion and retail, factory work, etc.)
What local businesses in your area are tried-and-true community staples?
What nationalities are most common in your area?
How would a local citizen indicate they are distressed, as compared with how a foreigner might indicate distress?
These are just a few of the simple questions we can ask ourselves to become familiar with our local communities. When we are all clued into our community surroundings it is much easier to spot a trafficking scenario. Despite the regional differences in trafficking though, there are a few key indicators and red flags of trafficking scenarios that translate globally, listed below.
RED FLAGS & KEY INDICATORS
WHEN A PERSON APPEARS MANIPULATED OR CONTROLLED BY ANOTHER. If an individual is accompanied by another controlling person, does not speak on his or her own behalf, and defers to their accompanying partner, -these might be signs that the controlled individual is being trafficked.
LACK OF EARNINGS. If a person is unable to keep his or her earnings (for example, it is “withheld for safekeeping”). In many cases, the person owes a debt they are working to pay off.
OVERLY FEARFUL, DEPRESSED, AND SUBMISSIVE BEHAVIOR. If a person is frightened to talk to outsiders and authorities since they are closely monitored and controlled by their trafficker(s). They may be fearful, anxious, depressed, overly submissive, and may avoid eye contact.
LACK OF OFFICIAL IDENTIFICATION. If a person is not in possession of their passports, identification, or legal documents, these items may be being withheld by traffickers.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE. If a person shows signs of drug use or drug addiction, they can be forced or coerced into drug use by his or her traffickers. Sometimes, a victim may also turn to substance abuse to help cope with his or her enslavement.
LACK OF PERSONAL BELONGINGS. If a person has few or no personal possessions, this may indicate that they are caught in the trafficking cycle.
DECEIVED BY A FALSE JOB OFFER. If a person’s actual job is different from the advertised job they had accepted, this may show their connection to labor exploitation.
CONTROLLED MOVEMENT AND TRANSPORTATION. If a person is transported to or from work, if the person lives and works at the same place, or if they show signs that their movements are being controlled, this person might be being controlled by a trafficker.
UNFAMILIAR WITH THE LANGUAGE. If a person has recently arrived in the country and does not speak the language of the country, this could indicate that they were trafficked into the country. Another red flag of which to be aware is if the person in question only knows sex-related or labor-related words.
BAD HEALTH AND MALNUTRITION. If a person shows signs of abuse or signs of being denied food, water, sleep, and/or medical care, they could be caught in the trafficking cycle.
SIGNS OF PHYSICAL ABUSE. Victims of human trafficking are often beaten in areas that will not damage their appearance, such as their lower back, so keep an eye out for signs of bruises, scars, and other signs of physical abuse and torture.
LACK OF TRUST. A victim of human trafficking may act as if they distrust any person who offers them assistance or attempts to converse with them. Be wary if a person appears overly distrustful and suspicious.
SIGNS OF DEPENDENCE. Sometimes, a victim may demonstrate affection, attachment, or dependence toward their abuser. Take note if you see suspicious demonstrations of dependence.
FEELINGS OF BEING TRAPPED. Victims of trafficking often feel that they are unable to leave their current situation, and may say so. If a person appears helpless or trapped, they may be a victim of human trafficking.
ATYPICAL ONLINE BEHAVIOR. Online trafficking is extremely prevalent in Western countries, and in many cases the traffickers don’t ever need to physically meet their victims in order to exploit their online content. This form of trafficking specifically targets children, teens, and young women. If your child has recently adopted new online behavior (such as lengthy periods of time alone on the internet), or looks more anxious than usual when interacting with their virtual games and social media, then this might be an indication that the child is interacting with online traffickers.
REPORTING
If you notice 2 to 3 of the above indicators, it could be a situation of trafficking. These cases should be reported to your national human trafficking hotline or emergency services as relevant. Reporting to your national human trafficking hotline is the most efficient way to report a case of trafficking, as these hotlines often can transfer you to the relevant local authorities, and many offer translation services. A quick Google search will lead you to a list of trafficking hotlines available in your area.
Besides reporting, the easiest way you can offer services to the anti trafficking movement is to spread the word: educate your friends and family about the massive scale of human trafficking throughout the world, and inform those around you of the key red flags that indicate trafficking situations. Monetary and voluntary donations to your local anti trafficking organizations are also a surefire way to serve the anti trafficking movement.
While the reality of human trafficking can be grim, human trafficking organizations worldwide are propelled by a radical hope that the cycle can be broken. If all of us used our eyes, ears, intentional time, money, and empathy to fight trafficking globally, we would no doubt see the end of this global crime in our lifetime. Change is possible, but there is so much work to be done. Share these tips with your loved ones, and keep fighting the good fight.
Moriah Ann Lee is the Communications Manager for Grant Me the Wisdom Foundation, and she has over 5 years experience working for anti trafficking agencies around the globe. Moriah’s written work has been published in the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News, BestReviews, and she was also a contributing writer at Business Insider. A graduate of Yale University, Moriah is passionate about educating herself and her readers on issues of Western feminism and American wealth disparity.