The Illegal Industry of Human Trafficking

What better way to spend a quarantine than contributing to humanity in a positive way, spreading hope and light? I am very passionate about the topic of justice and human rights. For approximately the past 10 years, researching the issue of human-trafficking has been a hobby of mine and what I have found out can only be described as staggering, tragic and very somber. My goal here will be to shed some light on what happens behind the dark curtain of human trafficking and to provide ideas on how to spread awareness and education so that we may fight against this evil that is plaguing so many of our fellow human beings.

Did you know that about 2.4 million people are trafficked each year and 800,000 of them are across borders? Did you know that illicit trafficking of human beings grosses at over 150 billion dollars per annum worldwide? It is the second most profitable illegal industry on the planet. Why is human trafficking so profitable? The driving motivation for traffickers is the low risk and high reward. A trafficker can make a lot of money in a short period of time and unfortunately, more often than not, get away with it. According to the GSI (Global Slavery Index), “two-thirds of the people are from Asia. Pakistan, Thailand, China, India, and Bangladesh”. On that note, human trafficking is very much a global issue, although it is most prominent in densely populated areas where access to even basic needs is a challenge and poverty is prominent. But, human trafficking is definitely not a foreign problem; it is something we all have to think and worry about. It does not occur "far away" but right in our own backyards, so to speak. The trafficking of people is an issue in nearly every country on the globe and most become victims of sexual slavery, especially women and children. Children can be sold into slavery even in infancy and are targeted by pedophiles worldwide. The buyers can literally be anybody; from any walk of life, any social class - there is no particular profile for a “John” (the industry name for a “customer”). This is one of the greatest injustices of the world and it is truly imperative to bring awareness in each of our communities. As a Free Them writer, my goal is to help bring awareness and education to our communities. With awareness and knowledge, we can help save many lives and perhaps prevent those we love from falling into the traps of traffickers. Traffickers are experts at grooming and recognizing at-risk individuals, largely children and youth often profiled as individuals seeking attention and having misconceptions of making their own money and the meaning of love.

“The trafficking of people is an issue in nearly every country on the globe and most become victims of sexual slavery, especially women and children. Children can be sold into slavery even in infancy and are targeted by pedophiles worldwide. The buyers can literally be anybody; from any walk of life, any social class - there is no particular profile for a “John” (the industry name for a “customer”). This is one of the greatest injustices of the world and it is truly imperative to bring awareness in each of our communities.”

I have created a short survey that will help us (Free Them) better grasp the perceptions and understanding of human trafficking in the community. This information is pertinent so that the needs in educating our society can be met efficiently and so that together we can help protect anyone at risk of victimization. The survey will take about five minutes of your time but will provide valuable information into how we can fill in the gaps in community awareness. The survey is completely anonymous and none of the information will be used to identify you and is strictly for statistical purposes. The goal of collecting this information is to be able to use it in such a way that we will ultimately be able to provide the needed education and information to our communities to prevent the selling of innocent human beings for the profit and selfishness of others. Thank you sincerely for your time and good will in helping bring hope to the eradication of human trafficking.

Please take a few minutes of your time to complete the Human Trafficking Awareness Survey:

TAKE THE SURVEY

If you are or believe you have identified someone in a trafficking situation, you can take action. Call 911 immediately to notify local law enforcement. You may also call the human trafficking hotlines in Canada and the United States by dialling the numbers below. Both hotlines are open 24/7/365 days of the year and provide services in over 200 languages.