Human trafficking: Exploring the issue in New Jersey

Human trafficking is a global problem that could happen anywhere.

New Jersey is no exception. Whether it's sex or labor trafficking, the Garden State faces some unique challenges that leaves the state vulnerable to this heinous crime.

New Jersey's dense population and proximity to the coast, the Route 95 corridor and multiple major cities creates the danger of human trafficking, experts say.

During the past year, reporters from NorthJersey.com and The Record have researched the issue and how it affects New Jersey. The goal is to shed light on a sometimes underseen problem while helping readers understand it. The series also helps humanize the matter with a local survivor's story, and another story details how Asian women can become ensnared.

‘I prayed I would not wake up': NJ human trafficking survivor advocates for education

Gina Cavallo was thrust into the world of human trafficking. Now, she vows to prevent others from going through the same trauma. Lori Comstock reports.

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Promised a new life, Asian women end up as sex workers

The lure of a trafficker. “There are many jobs. we will help you get a job. You can help your family.” More from Mary Chao.

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Human trafficking remains a complex and underseen issue everywhere

Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. Matt Fagan with the New Jersey perspective.

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NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking fights back against a prevalent issue

Human trafficking can be a scary subject, but it's something that affects millions of people. And while it might seem too big to stop, there are groups working to fight back. Reporter Liam Quinn takes a look.

How to help human trafficking victims

• New Jersey has a 24-hour hotline at 855-363-6548 if you or someone you know is in need of help.

• There's also a national hotline at 888-373-7888, or text HELP to BEFREE (233733), or email [email protected].

Take a deeper look

• Opinion: I was kidnapped, trafficked and never found. Missing kids of color need more attention.
• National: Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's twisted sex traffic world was based at Teterboro
• Watchdog: ‘How are you going to stop the internet?': Online child sex abuse explodes to crisis level
• Zip ties and shopping carts: Myths about sex trafficking make it harder to address real issue
• National: More than 200 human trafficking victims, including children, found in nationwide FBI operation