Human trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar criminal industry that affects over an estimated 40 million people globally. It’s important that everyone recognize the issue and do what they can to help contribute to the fight against it. No matter who you are or what you do, here’s what you can do to help.
Learn The Indicators
More often than not, there won’t be visible signs to alert you that a stranger is a victim of human trafficking. That being said, learning the indicators is important so that tips can be routed to experts who can decide whether intervention is needed. There are a variety of sources that provide indicators to look out for all forms of human trafficking. Some signs include when someone:
Works excessively long hours
Lives and works on-site
Is overly anxious, worried, or depressed
Offers a scripted or rehearsed story to explain unusual circumstances or signs of abuse
Is not allowed to or unable to speak for themselves or alone
Shows signs of poor hygiene, malnourishment, fatigue, or abuse
If you work in a specific industry, especially one that notoriously intersects with human trafficking, discover what you can do specifically in your role to help combat human trafficking. Polaris, a non-profit organization that operates the United States’ National Human Trafficking Hotline, is a great resource for focused information on how you can help combat human trafficking and specific indicators to look for in your industry. Polaris has rolled out a Roadmap for Systems and Industries to Prevent and Disrupt Human Trafficking which details information from a variety of industries including the hotel, healthcare, and transportation industries. Be the Change: How You Can Help End Human Trafficking is another great resource to learn both general and industry-specific indicators of human trafficking and how to combat it.
Conduct Research
One reason for the average person to conduct research on human trafficking is to remain informed on how human trafficking actually occurs as opposed to existing stereotypes, myths, or biases. If you are well informed on the topic, you can help accurately educate others, combat the spread of misinformation in the space, and make sure any tips you report to the National Human Trafficking Hotline are effective. To learn more about misinformation in the human trafficking space, check out our blog, Information and Misinformation on Human Trafficking. If you’re interested in conducting research or studies in the human trafficking space, we encourage you to dig into areas that are more often ignored, such as labor trafficking. It’s vital that we research human trafficking from all angles in order to most effectively fight it.
Use Your Skills
Whether you’re a skilled coder, lawyer, accountant, author, student, or just a concerned citizen you can use your unique skills to combat human trafficking. You don’t need to be a crazy-good coder. Our own founder Emily Kennedy was a liberal art major in college. You could use your skills as an accountant and donate your time to a local organization to help them with their bookkeeping needs. If you have a background in writing, help a non-profit build up their blog which helps them to further grow awareness. If you’re an artist, collaborate with an organization to host a charity event like an art auction.
You can also take the initiative to host your own awareness campaigns. Start a social media account dedicated to the cause. Host a bra drive. Start your own organization. Regardless of your background, your skills can help in the fight against human trafficking. Connect, give your time, or simply donate to organizations working to effectively combat human trafficking.
Be Conscious and Cautious
Unfortunately, the issue of human trafficking isn’t going away any time soon. It’s important to recognize the struggle and commitment the fight takes before delving straight in. It can be an intensely emotionally exhausting process to fight human trafficking. It’s important that you keep yourself safe and healthy—mentally and physically—so that you can best contribute to the fight.
It’s also important to recognize the biases that can be tied to the profiling of human trafficking. Many seek to help with tips on human trafficking, without understanding what it actually looks like. One important example of this is something that unfortunately happens far too often. When familial structures don’t fit into the standard nuclear family unit such as adoptive, foster, or same-sex parents, they can become targets of tips on suspected human trafficking.
While it’s important to report something if you are suspicious, it’s also important to understand the consequences of your actions: that false reports can cause unnecessary emotional trauma for the parties being falsely suspected. Make sure that you are educated on true indicators of human trafficking and consciously think through your actions when you are reporting a suspected incident of human trafficking. It’s also important to avoid devaluing the experience of victims because they or their experiences don’t fit your understanding of how human trafficking works. If you suspect something is off but dismiss it because the person is older or male or wealthy, you are devaluing their trauma and contributing to their victimization.
Human trafficking is a difficult issue to fully grasp and solve for many reasons. However, as long as we remain conscious of these difficulties and arm ourselves with accurate education and awareness on the issues, we can continue to effectively contribute to the fight against human trafficking.
Interested in learning more about human trafficking? Check out our educational blog series!
Stay connected to Marinus Analytics! Follow us on Linkedin and Twitter.
Do you want to learn more about human trafficking, bring awareness to the issues, or join the fight to end it? Sign up for our FREE Guide to Joining the Fight Against Human Trafficking where we delve into the importance of big data for human trafficking investigations; provide educational resources including books, documentaries, and podcasts; sources to turn to for reliable information; and give you examples of how you can raise awareness and take action no matter your time constraints, comfort level, or skillset.