Despite the malevolent, prevalent nature of human trafficking, many people remain tragically uninformed about it. Some people wrongly believe trafficking in persons only occurs overseas, in third-world nations, or elsewhere.

Unfortunately, human trafficking happens everywhere. This is all the more reason to raise awareness and inform the general public.

Thankfully, growing numbers of communities are taking steps to educate people who would remain otherwise ignorant of human trafficking and its existence around them.

Some states taking unique measures to raise awareness and combat this iteration of modern-day slavery are Wyoming, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Florida.

Added to that list is now Kansas.

What to know about human trafficking awareness in Kansas

Like other communities, Lenexa, Kansas reports an uptick in human trafficking cases. According to Human Trafficking Training Center co-founder Alison Phillips, traffickers habitually seek out vulnerable individuals to exploit.

In order to inform members of the community of what's happening and how they can help prevent human trafficking, the Lenexa-based Westside Family Church is holding a free training session.

This training will take place on October 13. Furthermore, it will center around how everyday folks can spot and assist victims and/or targets of human trafficking.

Additional information from the Human Trafficking Training Center

Unfortunately, the uptick in human trafficking means a greater number of children becoming the targets of traffickers. Per Phillips' account, human traffickers often use the internet, social media platforms, chat rooms, and even video games to find targets.

Therefore, the onus lies on parents to ensure their children are as aware and protected as possible.

Individuals of all ages, however, can potentially become the targets of a human trafficker. Some vulnerabilities that traffickers tend to latch onto include the following:

• Addictions to substances
• Runaways from home/unstable living situations
• Poverty

Once traffickers find a void, they often move to fill it for a time. This strategy is purely designed to build rapport, gain the target's trust, and erode any of their existing support systems.

After traffickers have their targets where they want them, they eventually move to the use of coercion, force, and fraud to keep these persons enslaved.

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.