Education is Our Greatest Tool in the Fight Against Human Trafficking
Right this very moment, in 2019, there are 24.9 billion individuals around the world trafficked for purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. And unfortunately, this is a crime closer to home than many tend to realize. However, with only .04% survivors of human trafficking cases identified, the hidden figure of this heinous crime is even higher.
While the issue of human trafficking has garnered increased media attention over the last two decades, human traffickers silently pervade American society unnoticed and unpunished.
In 2004, The New York Times released a groundbreaking investigative article that spotlighted the commonplace nature of human trafficking, called The Girls Next Door. Until The New York Times’ revolutionary report, there was very limited media coverage on the multi-billion dollar epidemic. Referred to as the “underground of brutality and lonely fear” in a speech by former President Bush at the United Nations, the global calamity of human trafficking was even compared to the AIDS epidemic by its sheer scale. The world was finally exposed to an entire industry of modern slavery which, until that time, had been hiding in plain sight.
Twenty years later, prosecution rates for human trafficking remain alarmingly low and many in our society are unable to identify what human trafficking actually is. As a nation, we must all raise the bar in human trafficking education to help protect our loved ones and avoid patterns that perpetuate the problem.
Private investigator Angelica Brooks created The Silent Voices Project, a non-profit with a mission to solve human trafficking cases and educate the community through trainings and events about human trafficking.
“Education is the greatest tool we have in the mission to fight human trafficking,” says Brooks.
As part of Brooks’ personal mission to eradicate human trafficking, The Silent Voices Project brings her extensive background in criminology to human trafficking education. She is a strong advocate for spreading awareness by educating her community.
Along with Brooks’ experience in criminal justice, she also works as an investigator solving missing-persons cases and participates in a Rapid Response Team to conduct immediate searches for missing children in her area.
What Is Human Trafficking?
Despite the prevalent nature of human trafficking, many in our country are unaware of the far-reaching effects on families and individuals.
“Knowing your rights as a human being is essential to understanding and fighting the crime of human trafficking,” says Brooks.
The United Nations defines human trafficking as:
“The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) for an improper purpose including forced labor or sexual exploitation.”
The crime of human trafficking transcends borders, nationalities, and economic status. It occurs in every country, even developed countries like the United States. In fact, along with the Philippines and Mexico, America is ranked as one of the world’s worst countries for human trafficking.
Unfortunately, human trafficking is lucrative, generating around $150 billion in profits per year for traffickers. Traffickers who have cast aside all moral principle have little incentive to stop, because they are rarely caught by law enforcement and convicted by the legal system.
Who is most at risk?
The experts assert that everyone is susceptible to becoming a victim of human trafficking. However, according to Brooks, the most vulnerable population groups are women and children, which comprise of 75% of human trafficking victims.
“13 million children around the world are victims of human trafficking, and those children remain voiceless,” says Brooks.
Human traffickers are experts in finding vulnerable individuals. In fact, they are “masters at reading people and their behaviors” according to research performed by the American Bar Association. Traffickers will pursue whatever means necessary to lure young children or vulnerable women into their trap, and will scout common areas for human trafficking recruits.
“Many times traffickers will target areas like malls, schools, bus stops, homeless shelters, and various internet apps or websites to find individuals looking for validation,” says Brooks.
Children who run away from home are at an even greater risk.
“One in seven children are likely to runaway from home, and they are most likely to fall victim to human trafficking,” says Brooks.
Traffickers lure children into their exploitative programs by offering assurances of a better life. When a child does not have a stable home life or promising opportunities to begin with, the trafficker’s offer may seem quite appealing. However, the work that follows, whether it be forced labor, child prostitution, or sex slavery, exposes victims to adverse, and many times fatal, working and living conditions.
“We can no longer sit silently while women and children suffer,” says Brooks.
How Can I Protect My Family From Human Trafficking?
With low rates of conviction for human traffickers, each family must earnestly make an effort to identify and prevent human trafficking in their local communities. It all starts with leadership. The first step is identifying leaders and professionals in our communities who have taken a stand against human trafficking and are actively working to eradicate it.
According to Brooks, there are 7 essential tips for anyone who wishes to protect themselves and their loved ones from human trafficking:
- ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings and avoid walking alone.
- Never give any identifying information to a stranger or a new friend in public.
- If you are being followed, quickly go into the nearest building and inform someone that you feel you are in danger. Stay there until the person or car following you leaves.
- Use social media wisely. Be suspicious of strangers who approach you after you have posted personal information to your social media profile.
- If you get random messages from people on social media, check your privacy settings, turn off your location settings, and only make your posts visible to friends.
- Avoid “checking in” to places on social media.
- Carry pepper spray or a taser with you at all times. Make sure that you learn how to use them before you need them.
To end human trafficking, we must increase our self-awareness and teach our families these simple practices.
To learn more about how to prevent human trafficking and to support human trafficking education, visit The Silent Voices Project for the latest updates on events and training seminars. Members of The Silent Voices Project are given access to the monthly magazine and recognition at events. Sign up here to join The Silent Voices Project community.
Former President Obama’s words offer inspiration for all as we seek to eradicate this hidden crime:
“Today, we continue the long journey toward an America and a world where liberty and equality are not reserved for some but extended to all. Across the globe, including right here at home, millions of men, women, and children are victims of human trafficking and modern-day slavery. We remain committed to abolishing slavery in all its forms and draw strength from the courage and resolve of generations past.”
It is necessary to use social and mass media to present solutions to this issue. Only when increased awareness leads to tighter enforcement and legislation can we begin to reduce the high rates of human trafficking.
The national hotline number to report any case or suspicion of a case is 1–888–373–7888.
