WEBVTT

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For years, the message about

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human trafficking has been, "it

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can happen to anyone."

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And that is true.

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Sex and labor trafficking

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victims and survivors can be

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men and women, boys and girls,

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people of any ages and gender identities

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They can be U. S.

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citizens or foreign nationals,

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documented or undocumented. They may

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be of any race, of any nationality,

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of any sexual orientation or identity.

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But while trafficking CAN

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happen to anyone, there are some

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situations and conditions that make

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certain people far more

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vulnerable than others.

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This is important

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and maybe a little different

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than what you thought. If you

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have seen posters or warnings

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that human trafficking is

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"happening right there in our backyards,"

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it really depends on what

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else is in your backyard.

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Your community.

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Data shows that the majority

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of trafficking victims identified

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in the United States, are people

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of color, indigenous communities,

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immigrants, and people who identify as LGBTQ+.

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That's because trafficking

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doesn't happen in a vacuum.

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It is the end result of other

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persistent, current, and historical

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inequities in our society and economy.

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These inequities, which foster

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vulnerabilities to trafficking, are

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concentrated in some communities.

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Communities that have historically faced

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discrimination and its political, social

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and economic consequences.

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People living in poverty are vulnerable

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because of simple economic need.

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People who grew up or are living in

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foster care, often have dealt with

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trauma, abuse and instability that

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leaves them vulnerable

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to emotional manipulation.

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People struggling with

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addiction can be lured into

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trafficking with drugs and alcohol.

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Basic physical needs like unstable

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housing can create an opening for traffickers

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to offer a solution with strings attached.

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Immigration status is

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another significant vulnerability.

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Many immigrants are fleeing violence

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or poverty, and traffickers can

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exploit their fears of being

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forced to return.

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A real life story

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of how traffickers prey on the

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vulnerabilities of their victims is the

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case of Andrew Blaine Fields.

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Fields recruited vulnerable women in

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the Tampa Bay Area who were

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providing commercial sex or performing

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at strip clubs. He promised

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to help get them off the

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streets. Instead, he intentionally

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escalated their drug use into

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full-blown addictions. Then he

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coerced his victims to sell sex for

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his profit by threatening to

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withhold the drugs. In 2013,

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Fields was convicted and sentenced

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to nearly 34 years in prison.

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This case is a powerful example

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of the many ways traffickers

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can exert control over their

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victims and make the choice to

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leave the situation seem impossible.