Major
Accounting
Minor(s)
Theater
Advisor
Michael Honhart
Advisor Department
History
Date
4-2020
Keywords
Human Trafficking; Sex Trafficking
Abstract
Amanda Centone HPR 401
Oral Summary 4/24/2020
Human Trafficking in The United States
Human trafficking is happening all around us. It takes place in the church services we attend, the restaurants we eat at, the nail salons we venture to, right down to the factories that make the clothes we are wearing. Human trafficking is one of the direst problems of our time. Today, there are approximately 30 million slaves worldwide. About 80 percent of these victims are woman and about half of these victims are minors. The average age for a girl to be coerced into trafficking is 12 to 13 years old. Many people think that human trafficking is an issue that can only be eradicated by law enforcement and the government; that could not be further from the truth. Small scale acts can make a large-scale difference. It is everyday people noticing that something is off in their communities, who are going to make change happen. For everyday people to get involved, they need to know where trafficking takes place, where the most vulnerable communities are, and how trafficking plays out in day to day life. My website is geared to educate people about what the signs of human trafficking are and what do if they notice signs of trafficking in their communities. My website also provides general background knowledge about what human trafficking looks like in the United States and small ways to get involved in an effort to eradicate human trafficking. Unfortunately, marginalized communities are at a higher risk of being exploited and coerced into trafficking. An act as small as volunteering for a mentor program for at risk youth can make a huge difference. The following are questions to ask to recognize human trafficking in your own communities.
- Is the victim allowed to be mobile?
- Is the person allowed to leave to go places such as community events or the grocery store by themselves?
- If it is a minor, do they have a guardian that is not their parent?
- Look at the residence where the person works or lives. Are there locks on the outside of the doors? is there a fence with barbed wire?
- Are there boarded windows where the person is residing or working?
- Is there an abundance of males checking in at the work site or living residence?
- Are there males who seem to always monitor the female employees? Does the work residence only consist of females?
- Has the person you are thinking is a victim been threatened with anything regarding law enforcement, deportation, and/or illegal immigration
- If you know the person you suspect of being trafficked, does that person have any documentation with them such as their passport? Is the person in possession over these documents?
- Is the person suspected of being trafficked, coerced or forced to work in a specific field of work?
- Is the person suspected of being trafficked being forced to partake in sexual acts or experiencing any form of sexual assault/domestic violence?
- Is the person suspected of being trafficked been deprived of basic necessities such as food, water, sleep, and medical care?