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While data indicates that human trafficking is becoming a larger problem, there are also more conversations being had about this crime.

That means more awareness among the general public, more training for industry workers who may be likelier to come across human trafficking cases, and more warnings about tactics commonly employed by human traffickers.

As great as all of this is, there is still one perspective of the conversation about human trafficking that remains widely underrepresented. That would be the accounts of survivors of human trafficking themselves.

A huge part of ending human trafficking is going to involve listening to and learning from those who have lived through it.

In California, one woman who survived human trafficking has come out to share her story.

Elizabeth Quiroz speaks out

In talks with the press, Quiroz revealed she experienced about 12 years of human trafficking, starting from age 15. She also informed the media that traffickers abused her in San Mateo County and San Francisco.

According to Quiroz, she survived three human traffickers. These traffickers were as follows:

• A man who posed as a boyfriend (also known as a lover boy or Romeo pimp)
• A woman who posed as a friend
• A drug dealer

Here, it's important to remember that drug trafficking and human trafficking are more connected than most people realize. Law enforcement and other survivors of human trafficking have confirmed this.

Quiroz explained that the drug dealer coerced her into selling drugs. This later led to arrests, time behind bars, then debt. Furthermore, Quiroz noted the drug dealer trafficking her also used her addiction as a means of manipulating and controlling her.

Unfortunately, this, too, has been documented as a tactic that human traffickers employ to keep people victimized.

Fast forward to present day

Despite what Quiroz went through, she has thankfully been able to turn things around. Today, the California survivor is a wife and a mom. She also runs Redemption House of the Bay Area, her non-profit designed to help and empower survivors of human trafficking.

Quiroz's past experiences have ultimately made her an asset to the fight against human trafficking.

Anyone who wishes to report what they believe to be human trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline via phone at 1 (888) 373-7888 or by text at 233733.