Learn about sex trafficking

Anyone can be trafficked. Prospective victims of this crime are without age limitations, racial boundaries, educational limits, socioeconomic status limits, etc. The common denominator in a trafficking victims/survivors is VULNERABILITY. Traffickers prey on those vulnerabilities to gain control of people.  

Traffickers are experts at locating vulnerabilities in people and using them to exploit people. Some factors that can be use against someone: drug addiction, financial instability, emotional insecurity, peer pressure, lack of family/support systems and much more. Traffickers often target victims using social media. 

The effects of physical, emotional and verbal abuse and neglect are traumatic. Repeated trauma causes physiological changes to the human brain. These can impair the ability to process information and cause unbalanced feelings and dysregulation of emotions.  This causes victims not to trust those are actually trying to help.

Prosecuting trafficking cases is difficult but not impossible. In most cases, a victim is needed to testify against a trafficker. That is why having advocates present  to help victims/survivors as they transition into therapeutic treatment facilities for healing is often crucial. Trained and informed law enforcement and legal personnel is vital to a successful prosecution.