Human trafficking needs coordinated solutions

It has been 23 years since the federal government first passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Since then, the global anti-trafficking community has learned much about who is vulnerable to exploitation, traffickers' business models, what drives the demand and how the problem is evolving in the digital age.

While we have moved past many harmful myths and misconceptions, significant work is still required to achieve sustainable, measurable change. Today is the ninth annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, an opportunity to reflect on how far we've come and look to the future of the anti-trafficking movement.

While anyone can be a victim of trafficking, we have learned those who live in poverty, experience violence and discrimination, and lack education and vocational options are disproportionately vulnerable to exploitation. Recently, I (Vanessa Bouché) collaborated on a study of 457 survivors of human trafficking in the United States, finding that 83% grew up in poverty. A staggering 96% experienced some form of physical, emotional or sexual childhood abuse, and 59% reported a physical, mental, or developmental disability. For human trafficking prevention programs to succeed, they must support the most marginalized, under-resourced communities.

We have learned that perpetrators of sex trafficking often experience forms of childhood trauma similar to victims. After interviewing offenders in federal prisons and reviewing the records of more than 3,500 defendants in federal trafficking prosecutions, I found that the economic driver of sex trafficking — making money — was often motivated by a deeper attempt to regain power and control that was lost or stolen from offenders in childhood and adolescence.

In cases of familial trafficking, we have learned how substance abuse and addiction drive exploitation. We must bring more traffickers to justice and increase the number of successful prosecutions. At the same time, we must develop programs to prevent youths and adults from becoming offenders in the first place.

Victims and perpetrators are just part of the trafficking equation. We have learned that the high demand for commercial sex fuels human trafficking. Best estimates are that 4 million American men have purchased sex at least once in the last three years, yielding more than $1 billion in revenue. Research on sex buyer online communities reveals violent and aggressive attitudes toward women. In 2021, Texas became the first state to make even first-time sex buying a felony. While this is an important step to deter sex buyers, the demand is much greater than a criminal justice response alone can handle. We must tackle the root issues that lead people to purchase sex.

Over the last 20 years, technology has radically shaped the evolution of human trafficking. Today the internet facilitates nearly every stage of the human trafficking business model. Social media, gaming and dating apps are used to recruit and groom. Sex advertising websites are ubiquitous. And live remote, interactive sex trafficking is gaining traction. Tech companies have created safety task forces and coalitions to limit this abuse on their platforms, but more must be done legislatively. For instance, a U.K. law requires customers to “opt-in” with their internet service provider to access illicit content.

Beyond tech, other industries such as banking, hospitality, airlines and trucking have learned about the ways traffickers leverage their services to conduct business, and the private sector is fighting back. They are supporting survivors through assistance with credit repair and job opportunities. In addition, health care professionals are being trained and law firms are offering pro bono services. Yet, a private sector response is still nascent. Corporate social responsibility; environmental, social and governance; and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies are inherently anti-human trafficking policies. As corporations continue to identify, measure and improve their environmental, social and governance impact, they should consider all the ways in which these policies also combat human trafficking.

While human trafficking is a complex and widespread problem, we are optimistic that the lessons learned will catalyze a cross-sector, coordinated, nonpartisan, data-driven and survivor-informed solution in the future. We have learned much over the last 23 years, and the future of the anti-trafficking movement depends on each of us taking that knowledge and turning it into action.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons reminds us we all have an opportunity and responsibility to advance freedom and dignity wherever we are and whatever we do.

Vanessa Bouché is a research fellow at Southern Methodist University, and a leading human trafficking researcher, social entrepreneur, consultant and expert witness. John Nehme is the founding president & CEO of Allies Against Slavery. They wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

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