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By Diane Nelson

 

“Trafficking in persons” refers to people being manipulated, coerced, or forced into labor and sexual activity for another’s benefit. 

January is the month that we shine a light on the horrific realities of human trafficking – a thief of human dignity and freedom. When tallied, world numbers are staggering—more than 27 million men, women, and children are trafficked each year. Unaccompanied child refugees, family instability, natural disasters, war, and pandemics all become opportunities “to rescue” someone from their present plight or just “take” them. 

North Carolina is tenth in the nation for calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, and in South Carolina, Representative Nancy Mace reported in 2024 that human trafficking was on the rise in her state and issued a “call to action” for all citizens to be vigilant, know the signs, and assist law enforcement in bringing traffickers to justice.

Mariana Van Zeller, a journalist with the NatGeo channel, has a series on “Trafficking” and how it operates everywhere. I recently watched the episode on the black-market surrogacy trade (Babies-for-Sale), which investigated women who are coerced into surrogate motherhood. Countless victims come from Kenya, Mexico, Columbia, and Ukraine, for example, where laws regulating the practice are lax or do not exist. 

The women, many of whom are in desperate situations, agree to surrogate motherhood because a “trafficker” promises money that will “better their lives.” Since many work for almost nothing anyway, the promise of $500 – $1,000 for a nine-month “pregnancy with medical care” is very attractive. But there are no real details. 

The reality is imprisonment during pregnancy, and once the baby is born, the woman is “cut loose.” She walks out of the hospital, never to see the trafficker or the medical team again. Many women die from complications. The women interviewed were either unpaid or not paid what they were promised.  

Youth.underground.com, a Swiss nonprofit dedicated to the fight against human trafficking, concentrates on children (who are the #1 prime targets). They state that after the arms trade, human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal trade in the world. It generates over $150 billion annually in profits. Millions of people are living in slavery worldwide, with sex trafficking of minors accounting for the largest percentage. 

In the US alone, traffickers make close to $10 billion annually. These are organized “rings,” much like Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend/groomer, Ghislaine Maxwell, who attracted their victims. There are transporters, housing managers, drug dealers, and, of course, the customers, many of whom exist in the celebrity realm. 

Trafficking (adults and children) includes forced labor, creating a slavery-like practice. This is different from legal engagement in certain forms of work. We are talking ILLEGAL coercion, kidnapping, debt bondage and forced marriage, all of which exist in trades including agriculture, factories, food and hospitality industries, massage parlors, private homes and drug trafficking rings. Children are prime targets because of their vulnerability, especially when in the custody of a non-family member, and the child’s labor is financially beneficial to someone. 

No community, school, socioeconomic group, or student demographic is immune. Cases of child trafficking are found in every area of the country—in rural, suburban, and urban settings alike.  And many underage victims are kids in American schools. 

It’s critical to be aware of the grooming tactics and intimidation that lure unsuspecting victims.  It’s also critical for the “person in the street” to recognize certain activities as signs of human trafficking. Learn the SOS hand signal for human trafficking – a single-handed gesture that indicates “HELP!” That’s a cue to SURREPTICIOUSLY record a license plate or look for details of a car or person and then call law enforcement. Don’t ever interfere, but get all the information you can to report it. 

On the Steps to Hope website, you will find helpful links for everyone, including parents and caregivers. There are many organizations dedicated to the rescue of human trafficking victims.  The stories are heartbreaking, especially the ones about the little children.

We must be vigilant and teach our kids how to be safe. And we have to learn the signs of human trafficking. Find out how victims are targeted, trafficker’s recruitment tactics, how to safely navigate out of situations, and how to find help. 

Let’s look toward the day when human trafficking is a thing of the past.