OVERVIEW
Human trafficking, also known as modern slavery or trafficking in persons, rates have increased significantly since 2011. Unlike many other crimes, human traffickers come from all walks of life and are incredibly diverse, making it much harder to have a rough profile of the average trafficker. When paired with the increase in human trafficking rates, it makes it near impossible to detect who might have ill intentions toward others. Additionally, traffickers target those of all ethnic backgrounds, genders, ages, and other characteristics of the like. This means having basic knowledge of the unfortunate phenomenon is more important than ever.
We understand that the following content may be sensitive for some readers. Please keep this in mind as you proceed. If you or a loved one is or has experienced human trafficking, if safe to do so, confide in someone you can trust or contact a hotline such as;
National Sexual Assault Hotline - 800.656.HOPE (4673)
National Domestic Violence Hotline - 800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - 988
National Human Trafficking Hotline - 1-888-373-7888, 711 (TTY), or text 233733
If in immediate danger, if possible, contact 911 or the local authority number in your area for assistance and further support.
WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?
As stated by the U.S. Department of State, "Human trafficking has no place in our world," and it is a statement many can agree with. Human traffickers profit from the exploitation of those they target. In most cases, a person is coerced into agreeing to provide labor or commercial sex. In other words, promises of good housing, education, a better or new job, lack of details on what the situation will entail, or all are common ways to manipulate targets. However, in other circumstances, traffickers will use violent methods to subdue those they target or otherwise physically force them to provide for the trafficker(s).
So far, there are two severe types of human trafficking; sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Sex trafficking involves exploiting victims via commercial sex with little to no pay. As expected, sex trafficking is the act of exploiting others for commercial sex. When a minor is involved in commercial sex, it is considered sex trafficking no matter the circumstances, including the unlikely event of the minor consenting. In the case of human trafficking, traffickers coerce, manipulate, or force their targets into providing commercial sex in inhumane conditions with little to no pay.
In many cases, traffickers force their victims into abusing drugs in order to force them to ignore the trauma of their situation. Labor trafficking is, as the name suggests, the exploitation of others for cheap labor or other services. Victims of labor trafficking are even forced to work over 12-18 hours per day 24/7 with little to no pay in inhumane conditions, making the name "modern slavery" seem more correct than ever. With the invention of social media, it's easier than ever for traffickers to coerce a target of human trafficking. It was even reported that survivors felt as though they had built a genuine connection with the trafficker (APU Edge Staff, 2021).
Potential victims are not the only ones traffickers attempt to coerce. Many trafficking rings disguise the crime by appearing as different businesses, also known as storefronts. This could be health, beauty, and massage parlors. While it may seem like a single parlor, there may be hundreds of storefronts, all surrounding a single trafficking ring. More than likely, these storefronts are home to sex trafficking rather than labor trafficking. These types of sex trafficking rings are coerced into consenting, typically via severe threats and intimidation, making the victims feel as though it is near impossible to oppose and escape.
MOTIVATIONS
Unlike many other offenses, human traffickers typically have a primary motivation: high profit for low risk. Due to traffickers commonly targeting those whose disappearance they believe wouldn't be deemed important, they consider their crimes to be low-risk. Along with the amount of profit one can make from exploiting others and keeping them in cheap, inhumane conditions, the primary motivator for traffickers is the money they can make. However, some traffickers exploit others out of habit and desperation. Adding on to this, some traffickers are those who have been trafficked themselves. Many traffickers have experienced some form of abuse, mainly physical and sexual, ever since they were young. These people were groomed into traffickers themselves (APU Edge Staff, 2021).
It would be a good idea to get into the mentality of the people who provide the traffickers with their profit, otherwise known as buyers. While high profit and low risk is typically the primary motivation for traffickers, it doesn't apply to them alone. Most buyers are motivated by what you would expect, the demand for cheap labor, personal sexual servitude, or something of the like. Much like traffickers, buyers use inhumane tactics of control, including, but not limited to, sexual abuse, violence, drugs, the refusal of basic human necessities, etc. (The Typology of Modern Slavery, 2019). Overall, the motivations of traffickers and those who provide them with their profit are increasingly similar. They can earn some form of benefit for themselves at the expense of exploiting others, all done with what they believe to be marginally low risk.
TARGETS
Many people can be susceptible to human trafficking, especially when previously targeted. However, as mentioned above, traffickers, much like other offenders, are exceptionally skilled at finding those at their most vulnerable. There are an unlimited amount of factors that could be at play when a trafficker targets another person, but there are a few that stand out. Traffickers tend to target those without a safety net, those living in poverty, those without human rights protection, those without economic opportunities, and other factors that a trafficker can use against them (unodc, 2008).
It should be noted that these factors by themselves do not influence an individual's ability to keep themselves safe from trafficking but rather increases a trafficker's ability to target or encounter them when they're at their most vulnerable, as previously mentioned. The tactic most typically used in these situations is coercion. A trafficker may manipulate an individual into believing that they're going to be offered greater opportunities (i.e., false job offers, promises of support, stable housing, etc.) at bettering the situation they're currently in. Instead, they are forced into providing labor or commercial sex in inhumane conditions while the traffickers profit from their exploitation. Some cultural factors may also influence a person's vulnerability to human trafficking. Adding on to this, in some specific cultures, what we currently define as trafficking and exploitation may be instead considered a normal occurrence in other cultures, or rather one that most would pay no heed to (Soken-Huberty, 2019).
Other external factors may also increase an individual's susceptibility to trafficking. Political instability, natural disasters, civil unrest, oppression, and other situations of the like give traffickers opportunities to coerce, deceive, and physically assault others into being trafficked (unodc, 2008). Nowadays, traffickers targeting those on the Internet have a broader population of those vulnerable to being trafficked. Some may be actively looking for a susceptible individual, while others are instead deceiving others by advertising false information that may entice a person to respond, mainly via job offers. However, those on the Internet have also spread awareness of human trafficking that may not have been available to the public a few years ago. In fact, numerous survivors of human trafficking have been sharing their experiences, further providing awareness on the issue. The Internet also has many services that offer support for those who have or are experiencing exploitation and human trafficking (Human Trafficking FAQs, 2021).
CONCLUSION
Human trafficking is a very real and increasingly severe issue throughout not just the United States, but the world. Many people who have been targets, victims, and survivors of human trafficking have sometimes been so without being aware that they were even experiencing human trafficking. However, those online now have the opportunity to spread knowledge and awareness about human trafficking. This means that more awareness and support can be shared worldwide, providing knowledge to those who previously were unaware of how to protect themselves to the best of their ability. With the constant sharing of information throughout the world and with the increase in traffickers being caught, we can stay hopeful that soon, human trafficking will, at the very least, be a more documented issue.
REFERENCES
About Human Trafficking - United States Department of State. (2023, January 18). United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/humantrafficking-about-human-trafficking/
APU Edge Staff. (2021, December 20). Gaining Insight into the Mentality of Human Traffickers. Edge. https://amuedge.com/gaining-insight-into-the-mentality-of-human-traffickers/
Human Trafficking. (2015, October 6). United States Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking
Human-Trafficking. (2021). United Nations: Office on Drugs and Crime. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-Trafficking/Human-Trafficking.html
Human Trafficking. (2017). National Human Trafficking Hotline. https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking#:~:text=Traffickers%20employ%20a%20variety%20of,in%20order%20to%20impose%20control.
Soken-Huberty, E. (2019, September 22). 10 Causes of Human Trafficking. Human Rights Careers. https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/10-causes-of-human-trafficking/
The Typology of Modern Slavery. (2019, October 16). Polaris - Polaris Works to Reshape the Systems That Allow for Sex and Labor Trafficking in North America and Operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline. https://polarisproject.org/the-typology-of-modern-slavery/
What is human trafficking? (2020, December 24). Hhs.gov. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/about/what-human-trafficking
What Is Human Trafficking? | Homeland Security. (2022). Dhs.gov. https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking
The diversity of human traffickers caught my attention and, because of this, they are difficult to profile. In addition, because their motivation is high profit for low risk, targeting people who could disappear off the face of the earth and no one would notice, it is even more difficult to stop. Now with social media, I know there are many ways to notify the public that one is in danger. I wish everyone knew about these cues so we could save more people. Thank you for the information.