Over the past several years, there’s been an indisputable uptick in attention directed towards human trafficking. The use of force, fraud, or coercion to extract sex or labor from another person is a crime. Unfortunately, it’s also far more widespread than a lot of people realize.
As more conversations about human trafficking take place, it’s imperative to dispel certain myths. To this day, the image of a girl getting pulled into a creepy white van by strangers is what many people think encompasses trafficking.
This scenario is not theoretically impossible and it can happen.
However, most cases of human trafficking don’t mirror the events of blockbuster films. More often than not, victims sold for their bodies or labor personally know their traffickers. They could be relatives, employers, or abusers posing as friends or romantic partners.
As this new year gets started, January brings National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
A closer look at National Human Trafficking Prevention Month 2024
Across the nation, various communities are taking steps to recognize and end this scourge of modern day slavery.
