Addiction is one of the most powerful tools human traffickers have to coerce, manipulate, and exploit victims. By creating or perpetuating dependency on opioids and acting as a means for continued access, traffickers can prolong exploitation situations.
Beginning in January 2015, Polaris has been working to further understand the relationship between drugs and human trafficking using data collected through the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
Understanding the role drugs play in facilitating modern slavery can help inform policymakers seeking to formulate responses to the ongoing opioid abuse crisis in America that take into account the experiences of human trafficking survivors.
