Yesterday, I was talking about human trafficking. Like many, I turned a blind eye to this until I saw statistics that just wouldn’t allow me to do that anymore.
Is there anything you can do to prevent human trafficking? First of all, know that it is real and happening in our country. Second, you can recognize the signs of a possible victim. These people act like they are under someone else’s control and feel as if they are under surveillance. They work long hours for little pay, yet don’t manage their own money. They may not know English and may live with live in a cramped environment with other workers. They may have visible injuries such as cuts, scars, bruises, or burns. They may be in poor health due to unsanitary living and lack of health care. They may be using drugs to escape the pain or be given drugs by their employers to keep them manageable. They may show fear, distress, shame, helplessness, depression or seem otherwise emotionally unstable.
What if you do know someone like this – what do you do? There is a national human trafficking hotline you can call – 888-3737-888 (yes, it is intentionally written like that to make it easy to remember). I learned that Tennessee has its own hotline number (1-855-558-6484), so you can check the Internet to see if your own state has a hotline (chances are it does!).
Remember that whoever is keeping this person a slave is probably watching them or has someone watching them, so only talk to them in a safe environment.
If you don’t know anyone that might be a victim but are still concerned about this atrocity, look online and get involved. Our Tennessee page (endslaverytn.org) suggests you and a group of friends hanging door hangers for awareness, being trained to become a presenter for community groups and organizations, and help collect gift cards and toiletries for survivors. Remember, even once they are freed from human trafficking, they have probably lost everything they ever own and need to start on the road to recovery.