31 Days to Becoming an Abolitionist {Day Eight} Who Is the Victim

Photograph was by Graham Kietzman via Planet KB Studio.

Who can be trafficked?  Anyone.

The buyers and sellers of human lives do not discriminate.  No race is safe; the victim can be male or female; and all ages are vulnerable.  The Department of Human Services has compiled the following lists of individuals that may be most vulnerable, locations the victims may be recruited from and methods of recruitment.

Recruiting is the technique used by the trafficker to coerce, deceive, or force people into slavery.

People that may be more vulnerable to being trafficked:

• Children involved in the foster care system and child protective services
• Children involved in juvenile justice system
• Individuals from developing countries where opportunity and jobs are rare
• Individuals with limited education or general lack of awareness of the issue
• Individuals with past history of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect
• Individuals coming from impoverished backgrounds
• All children are vulnerable; simply being a child makes one vulnerable

Where do Traffickers Recruit Child Victims?

• Outside of schools, After-school programs
• Outside of Juvenile Detention Centers
• Bus Stops, Train Stations
• Malls and Shopping Areas
• Outside of Youth Centers, Community Centers, or where youth are known to hang out
• Parties, Clubs, Bars, friend's houses, relative's houses
• Internet and Social Networking Sites (e.g. Myspace)

Other Forms of Recruitment

• Advertisements for work (e.g. cleaning, farm labor, construction)
• Posing Modeling Recruitment Agencies; Posing Study Abroad Programs
• Word of Mouth: By Friends, Family Members