The Truth About Sex Trafficking
The fight against sex trafficking in America is relatively new, with that there are often many misconceptions surrounding the reality of trafficking and its victims. Through our work on the frontlines and our experiences with survivors, we desire to shed a light on the lesser known facts of what trafficking often looks like. As we work with survivors who often feel misunderstood, we’ve seen the importance of raising awareness of how sex trafficking presents itself in our country, what it often looks like and the reality of what survivors have been through. We believe the more people who learn the truth, the more we can join together to stand against this crime and fight for the freedom of survivors.
We won’t let slavery stay in the shadows; you can help us shine a light on trafficking by learning these truths and sharing this information with the people in your life.
False Belief #1: Sex trafficking is prevalent in other countries, but it isn’t that common in the United States.
The Truth: There are over 26,000 trafficking fronts in the United States; that’s over 10,000 more than there are Starbucks. Once you learn to spot them, you can see them all over. Example - the spa you drive past with the funny name, dark shades, and open at 10pm, is most likely not a spa, but a sex trafficking front.
False Belief #2:Sex trafficking isn’t happening in my town.
The Truth: Trafficking is all around you; it can happen anywhere, on your own street and your own neighborhood. It happens on busy street corners, in homes and hotels. Most commonly, sex trafficking takes place in spas, strip clubs and through thousands of online ads and media.
False Belief #3:Traffickers always target victims they don’t know.
The Truth: Traffickers often have some type of relationship with their victim, whether it be an acquaintance, a family member or a romantic partner. It is common for pimps to target girls that they have a connection with. Oftentimes the trafficker will manipulate the woman he is grooming by showing her affection and attention by acting as her boyfriend. This is referred to as a “boyfriend pimp”. These traffickers look for those who are vulnerable and seeking validation and love, only to manipulate them into a relationship that will end up trafficking them.
False Belief #4:Trafficking victims always know that they are being trafficked.
The Truth: Victims often do not understand that they are being trafficked and exploited. Many of those who are trafficked met their trafficker at a young age, often 14-16 years old, without having yet fully developed critical thinking or decision making skills, and possibly not knowing what trafficking even is. They are groomed over time and lured in by the promise of belonging and safety, often influenced by use of drugs, money or a relationship. Many victims are told by their trafficker that he is only keeping their money so he can take care of them because he knows best. In reality, the trafficker often withholds her basic needs and manipulates her to think it’s her fault for behaving poorly, not keeping her end of the deal or not bringing in enough money for the night. Due to this manipulation, it may take years after getting out of the life for survivors to realize they were in fact trafficked.
False Belief #5:Trafficking victims always want out of their situation.
The Truth: Trafficking victims do not always express interest in leaving their trafficker. Through years of manipulation and lies, the trafficker leads his victim to believe that he loves her and knows what is best for her; this powerful tactic results in trauma bonding. The trafficker teaches his victim not to trust others or even her own thoughts and desires, brainwashing her so he becomes the only one she trusts. Because of this, she truly believes she has no other option in life but to be trafficked and exploited. Drug use often also plays a role in the control the trafficker has over his victim, leading her to choose to stay in the life because she sees this as the only means of gaining her next high. Due to all of this, a lot of victims feel resigned to this life, believing this is the way it has to be for them and that it’s too late to receive healing and a fresh start.
False Belief #6:Sex trafficking victims look like the ones from the movies.
The Truth: At Rescue America, the survivors we serve have come from all different backgrounds: a married woman who was tricked by a friend, a disabled adult taken advantage of at a group home, a young woman still living at home, a mother desperate for a different way to provide for her kids, a woman living with her pimp longing for someone to stop him, a woman going through withdrawals and pulled back into the life by the offer of her next high. They are everyday people, messy and going through the fire, so worthy of love and a chance at new life.
We are called to love one another as Jesus loves us, to fight for the oppressed and stand for justice. We praise God that despite these harsh realities of trafficking in our country, He is a God of redemption, and He has equipped us to partner with Him in offering solutions to survivors wanting out of the life. No one is ever too far gone to be saved by His mighty hand, and we are thankful for the way He can use each one of us to offer hope and a hand of rescue to those trapped in the darkness of sex trafficking.
