For years, the message about
human trafficking has been, "it
can happen to anyone."
And that is true.
Sex and labor trafficking
victims and survivors can be
men and women, boys and girls,
people of any ages and gender identities
They can be U. S.
citizens or foreign nationals,
documented or undocumented. They may
be of any race, of any nationality,
of any sexual orientation or identity.
But while trafficking CAN
happen to anyone, there are some
situations and conditions that make
certain people far more
vulnerable than others.
This is important
and maybe a little different
than what you thought. If you
have seen posters or warnings
that human trafficking is
"happening right there in our backyards,"
it really depends on what
else is in your backyard.
Your community.
Data shows that the majority
of trafficking victims identified
in the United States, are people
of color, indigenous communities,
immigrants, and people who identify as LGBTQ+.
That's because trafficking
doesn't happen in a vacuum.
It is the end result of other
persistent, current, and historical
inequities in our society and economy.
These inequities, which foster
vulnerabilities to trafficking, are
concentrated in some communities.
Communities that have historically faced
discrimination and its political, social
and economic consequences.
People living in poverty are vulnerable
because of simple economic need.
People who grew up or are living in
foster care, often have dealt with
trauma, abuse and instability that
leaves them vulnerable
to emotional manipulation.
People struggling with
addiction can be lured into
trafficking with drugs and alcohol.
Basic physical needs like unstable
housing can create an opening for traffickers
to offer a solution with strings attached.
Immigration status is
another significant vulnerability.
Many immigrants are fleeing violence
or poverty, and traffickers can
exploit their fears of being
forced to return.
A real life story
of how traffickers prey on the
vulnerabilities of their victims is the
case of Andrew Blaine Fields.
Fields recruited vulnerable women in
the Tampa Bay Area who were
providing commercial sex or performing
at strip clubs. He promised
to help get them off the
streets. Instead, he intentionally
escalated their drug use into
full-blown addictions. Then he
coerced his victims to sell sex for
his profit by threatening to
withhold the drugs. In 2013,
Fields was convicted and sentenced
to nearly 34 years in prison.
This case is a powerful example
of the many ways traffickers
can exert control over their
victims and make the choice to
leave the situation seem impossible.