On October 4, I participated in the Stop Modern Slavery WalkFest 2014, an annual event intended to raise awareness about human trafficking. Public awareness is a much needed element in the fight against human trafficking because of the widespread misunderstanding of what this term means. I think I have some basic knowledge to offer people who have zero background on this issue because I did a little anti-trafficking work in law school and have also been volunteering my time at an anti-trafficking organization. So for this post, I'm going to try a little awareness-raising of my own by talking about what I know about human trafficking in the U.S. and by hopefully helping debunk some myths that people may believe regarding the issue.
When hearing the term "human trafficking," most people imagine a group of young women and girls, being smuggled across borders from Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia and sold for sex. While this image is not inaccurate in the sense that it is one picture of human trafficking, it's far from a complete picture. Among trafficking victims are men as well as women and children--although the latter are affected disproportionately. Many persons are trafficked domestically and never cross any border of any kind. Sex trafficking is not uncommon, but labor trafficking is also a widespread form of human trafficking.
When hearing the term "human trafficking," most people imagine a group of young women and girls, being smuggled across borders from Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia and sold for sex. While this image is not inaccurate in the sense that it is one picture of human trafficking, it's far from a complete picture. Among trafficking victims are men as well as women and children--although the latter are affected disproportionately. Many persons are trafficked domestically and never cross any border of any kind. Sex trafficking is not uncommon, but labor trafficking is also a widespread form of human trafficking.
