How NOT to Combat Human Trafficking

 

People have previously believed that combating prostitution is the same as combating human trafficking.  It isn’t.

  For example, a small group of people in Washington D.C. noticed a brothel disguised as a spa had opened up in their neighborhood.  By occasionally catching glimpses of the girls, they came to suspect that the young women in question might have been victims of human trafficking.  They were morally outraged, so they filed a petition at Change.org to force the business to yank up its roots from their neighborhood, close their doors and go somewhere else.

  What did this group of people accomplish?  Well, they made it so their husbands would have to drive a little further to pay for sex.  They repaired the reputation of their presumably pure and noble neighborhood. 

  Did they do anything that helped the girls and/or women they suspected were being held against their will in order to be repeatedly sold into sexual bondage?

  No.  They did nothing that could be considered helping those women victimized by human trafficking.

  Visibility creates accountability.  Letting potential traffickers know that they were being targeted for suspicion of human trafficking doesn’t mean that they’re going to close up shop and never do business again.  It means they’re going to go further underground to sell their wares without attracting suspicion from a nosy neighborhood.

  If those women were slaves, they may never be seen again.  An opportunity to help them has been lost.

  It’s too bad Change.org doesn’t have a Wall of Shame. 

  This situation highlights how important it is to know how to approach a situation where human trafficking is suspected.  If someone truly wants to help, it is important for them to know how best to help the people involved, and that usually starts by contacting organizations that specifically deal with the issue, such as the Polaris Project.  If you or anyone you know has suspicions about a potential human trafficking situation, or if you yourself are or have been a victim of human trafficking, call the Polaris Project Hotline at 1-888-3737-888.