Human trafficking is lurking in your community, and it's not being addressed.
Slavery is a crime against humanity and a serious violation of basic human rights. Human trafficking is the trade of people for exploitation, including but not limited to sexual servitude, prostitution, and forced labor. If you think human trafficking doesn't lurk in your community, I'm here to tell you that it absolutely does.
Think your kids are safe? They’re not. It takes minutes for a predator to locate your kid and start the grooming process. Predators recognize the struggles of youth and the digital cry for attention on social media. Predators exploit those weaknesses to establish trust and slowly work their way into your kids’ lives.
Surely, politicians and government agencies are concerned with this problem; however, all over the US police departments and politicians are not allocating the appropriate resources to combat this crime. Between officer shortages and a lack of training, governments are struggling to reduce these crimes. As a nation, we aren't even talking about it. But it’s not just this nation, human trafficking is a tragic global issue, impacting millions of individuals each year.
One of the contributing factors in failing to combat human trafficking is a lack of its presence. It’s all around you, trust me. Victims are often violated away from the public view, out of sight from law enforcement. We’re not only talking about physical locations but online as well.
We’ve all heard of OnlyFans. Do you really think all the people on that platform are posting content under their own free will for money and sexual revolution? No. The rise of OnlyFans has brought about the fastest pipeline to becoming a victim of human trafficking. Husbands taking photos without their wives consent, and then controlling them physically or financially for more profits. “Managers” will maintain your OnlyFans account for you… a digital pimp, _how convenient_. If you try to back out, and you’re often intimidated, threated, or beaten. Victims often have difficulty disclosing their status due to fear of retribution from those who exploit and control them.
Fighting against human trafficking requires collaboration between governments, charities, and non-government organizations around the world. I’ve recently partnered with a NGO to contribute my skills to help combat this crime, which I’m passionate about fighting; but I’m not enough. We all need to educate ourselves on the signs of a trafficked victim, stand up for the voiceless and ask them, “Are you okay?” There are many organizations around the world which have resources set up to recover (yes, physically recover) and save these victims.
Human trafficking is all around us. Talk about it, get involved, and pay more attention online, specifically to your kids' actions. Audit their phones, be a parent, and report abuse to your local law enforcement agency.
