This month's blog is dedicated to making you aware of the scourge on society. Slavery. We now call it human trafficking. The United Nations explains human trafficking as follows:
Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Men, women and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world. The traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims.
Human trafficking can be compared to a modern-day form of slavery. It involves the exploitation of people through force, coercion, threat, and deception and includes human rights abuses such as debt bondage, deprivation of liberty, and lack of control over freedom and labor.
There are three common types of human trafficking: the sex trade, forced labor, and domestic servitude. The economic sectors that profit most from human trafficking are agriculture, restaurants, manufacturing, domestic work, entertainment, hospitality, and the commercial sex industry.
Human trafficking usually consists of three stages. In the first stage, the victims are recruited; in the second, they are transported; and in the third, they are exploited. At the recruitment stage, criminals use many methods to force or trick people into being trafficked.
I have listed six organizations that are responding to this crisis in their own way. I would encourage you to visit these websites and become aware of their missions.
Love146: https://love146.org
For over twenty years, Love146 has been a credible force preventing child trafficking and providing holistic support to survivors. If you listen to the story, 9 minutes, how love146 started, you will have a tear. I did.
Truckers Against Trafficking: https://truckersagainsttrafficking.org
Truckers Against Trafficking is a nonprofit organization that trains truck drivers to recognize and report instances of human trafficking. This national organization formed in Oklahoma, United States, in 2009 teaches truck drivers about the results of human trafficking.
Shared Hope International: https://sharedhope.org
This Christian organization exists to prevent sex trafficking and restore and bring justice to women and children who have been victimized through sex trafficking. SHI is part of a worldwide effort to prevent and eradicate sex trafficking and slavery.
Destiny Rescue: https://www.destinyrescue.org
Rescues children from sexual exploitation and human trafficking and helps them stay free.
Polaris Project: https://polarisproject.org
A leading data-driven social justice movement that reduces, prevents, and ultimately ends sex and labor trafficking and supports survivors on their paths toward freedom and healing.
ECPAT International: https://ecpat.org
This global network of civil society organizations works to end the sexual exploitation of children.
UNODC Global Report on Tracking in Persons aims to shed light on a shared problem and drive action against this crime by providing policymakers and practitioners with the information and analysis they need to sharpen responses and improve prevention. I encourage you to read the report.
Did you know?
What day of the year is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day?
Which US state dedicated January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month?
What color clothing should you wear on January 11?
In what year did the US Congress enact Human Trafficking Crime?
True or false? Most trafficking is carried out by people whose nationality is the same as that of their victim.
What is the maximum penalty at the federal level for committing a human trafficking violation?
