EDUACATION AND AWARENESS

The only way human trafficking will ultimately end is if the discussion is taken out of the shadows and people are enlightened. Education and awareness are simple ways we can all help prevent trafficking. If you see something that doesn’t look right, report your findings to the proper authorities.

Victims are everywhere and often in plain sight: at a bus stop, in a store, on an airplane, walking down the street, in a hotel lobby ...literally anywhere. There is never a downfall to overacting, but there are HUGE consequences if something goes unreported.

PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION

Traffickers are savvy and they prey on victims who are isolated, insecure, underprivileged, lonely, or innocent. Basically human trafficking doesn’t discriminate on geography, social status, gender, age or education level – if there is a weakness to be exploited, a trafficker can find it. More over, there may be no apparent weakness and yet a trafficker may still decide to seize ANYONE as their victim.

There are area rescue organizations which help to identify victims, but mainly rescues are dependent on local law enforcement, homeland security, and ICE. There is also regional human trafficking task forces which have been formed to try and combat human trafficking.

For more information call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at

1-888-373-7888

Learn More

Here are some of the signs for recognizing victims of Human Trafficking in our communities:

· Discrepancies in behavior and reported age

· Impaired judgment

· Depersonalization

· Unfamiliar with their surroundings

· No Identification

· Has been branded by a trafficker – tattoo of trafficker’s name or symbol

· Acts scared around people

· Individual is dressed in inappropriate clothing

· Has numerous inconsistencies in their story

· Exhibits hyper-vigilance or paranoid behavior

· Emotional exhaustion