The Unseen Crime — Human Trafficking

Causes, Signs and Solutions to Recognize and End a Pervasive Crime

By Isabelle Tudor Schwartz and Dr. Denise Lenares-Solomon

Human-trafficking is a horrendous cycle holding victims physically and emotionally captive in communities around the globe, including within our own nation — which recently ranked in the top three worst countries for this modern-day form of slavery.

According to Oxford University, human-trafficking is “the action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation.” Human-trafficking is an umbrella term for the smaller, yet distinct, separations between labor-trafficking and sex-trafficking. These human-trafficking types share a mutual composition of traffickers, buyers and victims that keep the wheel of abuse turning.

It’s shocking to realize the proximity of these crimes to our daily lives in the United States.

In my home state of Georgia, both labor- and sex-trafficking are present and prevalent. Georgia cities are among the most profitable sex economies in the United States due to our bounty of an international airport, major interstates and grandiose sports events, which are significant pull factors for traffickers and buyers handling victims. Expansive highways combined with the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has long given residents and visitors the ability to traverse the world. Unfortunately, this opportunity also extends to exploiters, ultimately adding a layer of convenience for traffickers traveling to provide ready-to-pay buyers with their victim of choice.

The state’s travel-friendly aspects serve to protect the anonymity of buyers as well, as they often commute several miles to lessen the risk of being recognized and implicated. This issue extends across many states that have upgraded infrastructure and easy access to mobility.

Plus, according to The Associated Press, 99% of buyers are male. Buyers are usually husbands and fathers with disposable incomes, ensuring they will not break the bank while breaking lives. Georgia’s large-scale sporting events yield increased traffic of victims being bought and sold since the common sporting event clientele aligns with that of sex-trafficking. Men privy to Super Bowl and Masters tickets are also those who can afford sex from a hostage.

Within sex-trafficking, there are two primary types of traffickers who constantly source and secure victims for profitable exploitation, known as the ‘Guerilla Pimp’ and the ‘Romeo Pimp.’

As their monikers suggest, Guerilla Pimps rely on physical force to obtain and control victims while Romeo Pimps thrive on false intimacy and emotional warfare to lure victims. Usually middle-school age when entering the sex-trade, victims are preyed upon in one of life’s most insecurity-filled phases. Based on their target’s background, whether it be nature of personal relationships, level of self-esteem, or home environment, traffickers shapeshift to appear as void-filling heroes. Though victims are male and female, the Romeo Pimp’s tactics illustrate why most trafficking victims are female, often ensnared by the fairytales and common tropes they were raised to cling to.

Traffickers leverage social media, especially platforms with private messaging, to begin relationships and gain influence over potential victims. Eventually, a Romeo Pimp’s ‘Prince Charming’ approach changes as each lavish gift and crafted affection is revealed to have strings attached. Traffickers’ contributions of adoration become tools to enforce a feeling of indebtedness and often persuade victims that only obedience in exploitation will adequately convey gratitude for these surface-layer sacrifices. Abuse becomes a part of love. In the case of a Romeo Pimp, victims stay with them either out of manipulated loyalty or to prevent the actualization of threats made against self or family, which are regularly dispensed to bind victims. Apart from acquiring bodies for profit, social media aids traffickers in actually selling victims, as HuffPost estimates around 70% of all child sex-trafficking victims are sold online. As a result of traffickers and buyers being able to hide their digital footprints with mere clicks, sex-trafficking thrives through online markets.

In discussing human-trafficking, it is necessary to look at the laws. Georgia, for example, has been very active regarding human-trafficking laws. One such important law directly affecting victims is Senate Bill 8 — the Safe Harbor Law. The Safe Harbor/Rachel’s Law Act is named on behalf of a young female sex-trafficking victim who bravely testified in support of this measure. The Safe Harbor / Rachel’s Law Act stipulates that children under the age of 18 are treated as victims — rather than criminals — when involved in acts of solicitation and prostitution. Many local jurisdictions have begun making this distinction in sex crimes and sex-trafficking, but the Safe Harbor Act codifies this stance for the entire state. The Act also increases penalties for persons committing the trafficking and places them on the Sexual Offender Registry.

In addition to strong laws that protect survivors, everyone can do their part to put an end to sex-trafficking by increasing awareness and education. Simply learning the warning signs that indicate human-trafficking and saving the phone numbers for trafficking and missing person hotlines can save lives, helping identify and ultimately rescue victims. Since trafficking takes advantage of the complexities of ever-developing technology, bringing and promoting internet safety seminars to community members would be extremely beneficial in preventing online connections from turning into real-life violations.

But the most important tactic to eradicate sex-trafficking is to include those who are at-risk in the conversation.

Since children are the most vulnerable and most heavily targeted when selecting victims, it is imperative that all middle and high-school aged children are informed on the patterns and dynamics of trafficking in all its forms — and the ways in which they can be exposed in-person and online. To provide children with the tools and understanding essential to protect themselves and loved ones from the tragedies of human-trafficking, vocalize your support for youth-aimed educational initiatives, particularly the mission to require sex-trafficking education in school curriculum. In order to truly defeat human-trafficking, we must commit to bringing the discussion into the light and speaking its truth. Silence will only nurture the heartbreaking growth of human-trafficking.

Isabelle Tudor Schwartz is a Vital Voices HERlead Fellow and student in Georgia. Dr. Denise Lenares-Solomon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counselor Education, Leadership and Research at Augusta University.