Human trafficking

SMART GIRLS UNDERSTAND: HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Human trafficking is the kidnapping or transport of humans for the purposes of forced labor. Traffickers use violence, threats, lies, fake job offers, or debt to trick their victims into becoming illegally bound workers. These workers are forced into prostitution, physical slavery, or taken advantage of in other ways. Traffickers find vulnerable people to victimize including refugees, the poor, or runaway youth.

The situation: Imagine the promise of a better life for you and your family. You put your trust into a business man who speaks of high-paying jobs and safe passage to a new place. But when you arrive, you instead find 16-hour work days, grueling labor, or worse. If you or your family try to protest or to leave, you are threatened with physical violence. That is the story for many victims of human trafficking. Other times, a young women is offered a modeling or acting job, but she is instead kidnapped and forced into prostitution.