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The realities of Human Trafficking in the U.S.

By: Katherine Park
| Published 04/19/2016

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Human trafficking. The phrase ignites images of distant countries and foreign people in forced servitudes of various types. However, have we as Americans come to grips with the fact this same heinous crime against human rights occurs within our borders, and affects our citizens?

In its simplest form, human trafficking is the illegal movement of people, typically for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. The Department of Justice reports that there are an estimated 2.47 million people being trafficked in the U.S. Additionally within our state alone the stats are disturbing, with Houston ranking number one in the nation among cities thought to have the most human trafficking victims.

Two FBI Innocence Lost Task Forces – one based in Dallas and one in Houston – report data on child victims of human trafficking. Their data reports a total of 957 reported victims and 1,057 reported human trafficking-related incidents from January 1, 2007, to January 9, 2014. However, the issue is not concentrated only to Houston, but also engulfs the greater Houston area including Alief, Baytown, Greenspoint, Third Ward, Fifth Ward, Cypress, Katy and The Woodlands with victims served from each of these areas.

What’s driving this covert industry you may ask? Cold hard cash. Worldwide, last year slave traders made an estimated $32 billion. That’s more than Nike, Google and Starbucks combined.

It is imperative we make a stand against this crime happening in our backyard. Education on recognizing potential red flags and knowing the indicators of human trafficking is a key step in identifying more victims and helping them find the assistance they need. Additionally, generating more discussion about this topic and spreading awareness of the facts can go miles in mobilizing people to action against human trafficking. Know the facts. Start discussions. Stand against trafficking.

Katherine Park

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