First and foremost, it's
important to know that in the vast
majority of situations of trafficking,
the victim knows and, in many
cases, loves and trusts the trafficker.
It is very rare that a trafficking
victim is kidnapped by a
total stranger. Fraud and coercion,
another name for manipulation, are
far more frequent ways of recruiting
people into trafficking situations.
Fraud and coercion can
take many forms. The tactics
that traffickers use usually depend
on their victims' unique
circumstances or vulnerabilities.
What may lure one person into a
trafficking situation might not work for
another. The same is true for
what might keep a person from
breaking free of a trafficker's control.
Traffickers understand this.
They identify the needs of their
victims and meet these needs by
providing solutions.
Maybe it's a job that is supposed to
pay good wages, but turns
out pays nothing at all.
Maybe it's a place to sleep that
turns out to come at a price.
Maybe it's a promise of fame or fortune.
Sometimes what traffickers offer
is less tangible, but at least
as powerful as material objects.
They offer love, affection,
a sense of belonging.
This whole process is known as grooming.
The trafficker spends time grooming
the victim. That is, convincing
the victim that this is what
they want, that this is going
to get them what they need.
By the time the trafficking
begins, the victim thinks the
decision was actually theirs alone.
Then comes the coercion. The
control. Sometimes traffickers control
through threats and violence.
Sometimes they don't have to.
By "solving" another person's problem,
traffickers give themselves power over
that person. They gave the person
what they needed and
they can take it away.
If that happens, their victim
will find themselves
back where they started.
Without money. Without love.
Without the ability to support
themselves or their families.
That is coercion.
That coercion or control is why
many victims of human trafficking may
not identify as victims or reach out for help.
For example, if a victim is a
foreign national who came to the
United States for work, a trafficker
could threaten to get them deported.
If a victim has a past
history of abuse or neglect and
a trafficker promises love and
stability, the victim may be too
loyal to their trafficker to
report them or try to leave.
Maybe a victim is addicted to
opioids and the trafficker threatens
to deprive them of drugs and
force them to experience
debilitating withdrawal symptoms.
In all of these examples,
victims can feel like they
are left without options. They
think the consequences of leaving
their traffickers are worse than staying.
Here's an example of how
traffickers use coercion.
Lacey's parents kicked her out when she
told them she was gay. She
couldn't find a job, so she
started selling sex in order to
support herself. After a couple
buyers got violent, Lacey met
Jeremy who said he could keep
her safe. He invited her to
live in his apartment with
several other girls who were also
selling sex. Lacey accepted his
offer of safety and stability.
She quickly grew close with the
other girls she lived with.
In exchange for the place to stay,
Jeremy made them give him part
of their earnings every night.
If they didn't earn enough,
he would lose his temper and
could get violent. One night, Lacey
didn't make enough. But instead
of hurting her, Jeremy hurt
Lacey's best friend. From then on,
Lacey did whatever she had to
in order to make the amount
Jeremy set. She couldn't stand
the thought of one of her
friends being hurt because of her.