It can be very difficult for trafficking victims to come forward. They might be embarrassed. They might be isolated in an unfamiliar culture, unable to speak the local language, lacking valid immigration papers and threatened or intimidated by their traffickers. 1

Further, people who are being trafficked for sex may not see themselves as victims. They may have been manipulated or groomed to believe they’re making their own choices. They may be trafficked by people familiar to them — even family members — whom they trust. Victims of trafficking may depend on their traffickers for physical needs, such as shelter. And traffickers may threaten them or their families if they try to leave. 2

Improve awareness and education

Making potential victims of human trafficking aware of the definition of human trafficking, the means that traffickers employ, and alternative safe, legitimate resources for satisfying their need for employment, shelter, affection and other basics can help them avoid falling prey to trafficking.

Educating people in a position to identify the red flags of human trafficking, including educators and others who work with young people, law enforcement, health care workers, hospitality workers and parents, can allow them to step in and act before a person becomes a victim.

Learn more about LifeWay Network’s education program.

Address vulnerabilities

Supporting programs and systems that lessen or eliminate common vulnerabilities to human trafficking — homelessness, discrimination, poverty, a lack of healthcare, unemployment, abuse, family dysfunction, addiction — is a powerful way to help prevent human trafficking.

Break the cycle

Providing a safe and sustainable exit from a trafficking situation allows survivors to change the legacy they offer their children. Programs such as LifeWay Network’s, where survivors are offered a home, trauma-informed care and access to services for medical care, employment, education and justice, create a new outcome not only for a person who has been trafficked, but also for his or her current or future family.

Learn more about LifeWay Network’s safe housing program.

“As both a grave crime and a human rights abuse, (human trafficking) compromises national and economic security, undermines the rule of law, and harms the well-being of individuals and communities everywhere.” 3

Make a difference.

1) www.acf.hhs.gov/archive/blog/2012/02/human-trafficking-why-awareness-matters
2) https://polarisproject.org/understanding-human-trafficking
3) www.state.gov/humantrafficking-about-human-trafficking