Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise of this century, growing from a nine billion to a 32 billion dollar global industry in a little over a decade. There is no typical trafficker, and it has been shown that traffickers can be parents or other close family members, family friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, employers, smugglers, or strangers.  Traffickers can be part of an organized enterprise or can work alone. Street gangs, for example, are known to traffic minors into the drug and sex markets. Don’t ignore the facts. Slavery exists and we can work together to end it.

Understanding human trafficking is just one of the first necessary steps that must be taken in order to stop slavery.  But what’s next? Take steps to stop slavery by learning how to recognize the signs, talking to youth about what steps they can take to protect themselves and others, reporting suspected trafficking, and more.

By the time someone has been trafficked the system has already failed at what should be its primary goal: PREVENTION. We need to work to prevent human trafficking from occurring so the need for services doesn’t exceed the availability of services. Prevention efforts are not often sensational; however, focusing on preventing some of the risk factors that lead to an increased vulnerability to human trafficking will prove the adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  

Have you ever wondered what to expect from prevention efforts?  A recent NSPNsights blog post An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure shares:

Prevention efforts:

  • provide information, resources, and safety planning skills to potential victims
  • attempt to reduce the likelihood that an individual will become a trafficker
  • change societal norms that blame victims
  • empower community members to recognize and respond to instances of trafficking
  • advocate for changes to policies and laws to reduce the occurrence of trafficking across vulnerable populations  

Read more of this blog, including Nine Principles of effective Prevention Programs here: https://nspnetwork.wordpress.com/2016/01/14/an-ounce-of-prevention-is-worth-a-pound-of-cure/

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