What is Sex Trafficking ?
Sex traffickers use violence, threats, lies, debt bondage, and other forms of coercion to force men, women and children to engage in commercial sex against their will. Under federal law, any minor under the age of 18 years induced into commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking—regardless of whether or not the trafficker used force, fraud, or coercion.
Where are they usually found?
Many of the commercially exploited are found in sex houses called Brothels or business fronts like Massage
Parlors, Nail Salons, Barbershops, Strip Clubs with VIP rooms, Bars, Modeling Agencies, Hotel, Motels, Truck Stops, Sporting Events,and Maid services, just to name a few. Other Forms include online advertising with social media, escort services, hotlines and Pornography, there are many more forms being found yet.
Parlors, Nail Salons, Barbershops, Strip Clubs with VIP rooms, Bars, Modeling Agencies, Hotel, Motels, Truck Stops, Sporting Events,and Maid services, just to name a few. Other Forms include online advertising with social media, escort services, hotlines and Pornography, there are many more forms being found yet.
How does this Happen?
Many times Traffickers use everyday types of relationship building, for instance talking to the victim, getting to know their goals and dreams, hearing their struggles and pains. Then they put the information together to entice them to follow them, may it be travel, get away from home issues, out on a date, modeling etc.. after they have their trust then they sweep them off to a place where they will begin the threats of killing family members or their children to violence, multiple rapes, sleep deprivation, starvation and sometimes drugs to control them. Their goal is not to have to spend to much money so they may make the most profit out of every transaction. This is why they go after self esteem and humiliation to take out any fight or self worth, this way they can control their victims with out physical chains while keeping them mentally chained. Often victims have fallen in love with this person before the terrible things happen and have a hard time separating from their trafficker. They begin role playing as families to fill voids, or cause a language barrier so they have no one to speak to. They instill the idea that the authorities will treat them badly or lock them up so they teach then a fabricated story with wrong birth dates, names and addresses. So they are more likely to not trust any help from authorities or they fear their Trafficker so much they will not even ask for help. There have been many cases of victims being sold in by family members, virgins sold for money to feed the rest of the family and Husbands selling their own wife and daughters.
Why don't they run away?
We believe the better question to ask is why are people buying sex or selling it at all? To ask why a Victim has not ran away is a way of putting blame on the very person who never asked for this to happen and may have a huge chain you do not see holding them there or better yet no where to go.
I ask you to look for these answers.
What Can You DO?
Learn the signs, educate others, keep your eyes open, report things that may seem like this may be going on, stop purchasing from places that support these activities, Give Financial support to organization like us that are working to help the victims and report offenders. Look at the missing children signs many are runaways and have been sucked into to Trafficking.