Human trafficking is modern day slavery
January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. What you may not know is that Human Trafficking, also called “Modern Day Slavery,” is the second largest criminal industry in the world (just behind drug trafficking) and continues to be the fastest growing. More than 30 million people are enslaved worldwide, roughly half are children. And this isn’t a Third World phenomenon – the United States is among the worst offenders for this crime with more than 11,000 cases reported annually.
Human trafficking happens locally in communities too. Women, men, girls and boys are forced against their will to provide labor in homes, restaurants, farms, factories and construction sites. And they are forced into the sex industry, such as in the recent proliferation of trafficked sex workers in America’s oil fields. Physical violence and threats of injury, abandonment or public exposure are the stock and trade of human trafficking predators.
What victims of human trafficking – adults and children – have in common is their vulnerability, with many coming from homes with domestic and sexual violence. Victims may be runaways from abusive or neglectful households, feeling alone and hoping for a fresh start. Some are looking for jobs that will help them support their families back home. Some are undocumented immigrants.
Regardless of their gender, nationality or circumstance, they all are greatly susceptible to the false promise of a better life, or love, from a trafficker. The sex trafficker’s promise of “a way out” can sound promising. Sex for money is held out as the path to “freedom,” the victim falsely told that a portion of the money will help them get back on their feet or protect their loved ones.
Women and girls are most often the victims of sex trafficking; nearly 75 percent of all trafficking cases in America involve females sold into sexual slavery. Sex trafficking operates in the shadows, out of the spotlight, shielded by a reprehensible perception of acceptance as “it’s just the way things are.”
No location is immune to human trafficking – the illegal profits are high enough to warrant the risk. Border states are particularly vulnerable, and New Mexico is above the average of per-capita human trafficking among states. Native Americans of tribes in New Mexico are particularly targeted. There are state laws against recruiting or transporting for forced labor – or benefiting financially from forced labor or sex work. Threatening to harm the victim, threatening to report victims to law enforcement or immigration, or taking possession of government documents without consent are also crimes. The state attorney general has set up the Human Trafficking Task Force (NMAG.gov/human-trafficking-task-force.aspx) to focus on combatting all forms of trafficking in New Mexico.
Over the years, Community Against Violence has helped many people who were trafficked right here in our local communities. Most often friends, family or acquaintances are who recognized signs of trafficking and called for help. Here are some indicators to look for in others:
• Unable to come and go as they please;
• Can’t pay for their own food or clothing;
• Have injuries or other signs of abuse;
• Avoid eye contact and shun interaction with friends or family;
• Openly fear contact with law enforcement;
• Respond with what sound like scripted, rehearsed phrasing;
• Lack personal identification documents;
• Lack personal possessions. Victims or those who recognize the signs of trafficking can call or text the New Mexico hotline 505438-3733 (505-GET-FREE); or call the nationwide Human Trafficking Hotline 888-373-7888 in any of 200 languages. All contacts are confidential. For more information, visit CASTLA.org; DHS.gov/bluecampaign/what-human-trafficking and PolarisProject.org/humantrafficking.
Malinda Williams is the executive director of Community Against Violence (CAV) which offers free confidential support for child and adult survivors of sexual and domestic violence, To talk or get information on services, call CAV’s 24-hour hotline at 575-758-9888. Find out more at TaosCAV.org.