Trafficking

Trafficking is the practice of transporting people or goods from one place to another, often for the purposes of exploitation. In the context of human trafficking, the term refers to the exploitation of people for labor, sexual exploitation, or other forms of exploitation through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. It can take many different forms, including sex or labor trafficking and organ harvesting, and it affects people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.

The term can also refer to the illegal trade of goods or substances, such as drugs or weapons. In this context, it refers to the illegal transportation of these goods from one place to another for the purposes of sale or distribution.

Terms

Some other terms that refer to human trafficking include:

  1. Modern day slavery
  2. Forced labor
  3. Debt bondage
  4. Forced marriage
  5. Servitude
  6. Labor exploitation
  7. Labor trafficking
  8. Human exploitation

Forms of human trafficking

People who are subjected to these crimes are forced to work in a wide range of occupations and industries. To illustrate, human trafficking occurs in:

  1. Agriculture, including farming, fishing, and forestry
  2. Construction, including building and infrastructure projects
  3. Domestic work, including cleaning, cooking, and childcare
  4. Manufacturing, including textiles, electronics, and clothing

Why do people do this?

There are many factors that can drive someone to engage in this, including a desire for power and control, financial gain, and a lack of regard for the well-being and rights of others. In some cases, they may see it as a way to make easy money, while in others they may be motivated by a desire to exploit and abuse vulnerable individuals. Additionally, factors such as poverty, lack of education and opportunities, and a history of abuse can make some people more vulnerable to becoming traffickers or being trafficked themselves.

Social media depictions of trafficking can cause harm
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Social media depictions of trafficking can cause harm

Editor’s note: we cover this situation in articles tagged with “human trafficking panic,” like this one: Social Media “Human Trafficking Panic” Posts. Get educated, not fooled. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — You’ve likely seen the posts. A friend of a friend posts a screenshot of a post from another friend. In it is a fraught tale…

Anti-Sex Trafficking Hero a Guest Speaker at Tampa Fundraising Event
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Anti-Sex Trafficking Hero a Guest Speaker at Tampa Fundraising Event

Sarasota, Florida, Sept. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Florida is the #3 state for sex trafficking, and coupled with the timing of this past summer’s release of the blockbuster action drama film, Sound of Freedom that outperformed big-budget features like Mission: Impossible at the domestic box offices, what better time to honor the inspiration behind the…

Woman sentenced to death for trafficking 11 children: Chinese court
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Woman sentenced to death for trafficking 11 children: Chinese court

A woman has been sentenced to death in China for trafficking 11 children in a case dating to the 1990s. In a verdict posted on its WeChat account on Monday, the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court in Guizhou province said the child trafficker, Yu Huaying, abducted children in southwestern China, including Chongqing and Guizhou, then took them…

Lawyer who prosecuted first federal human trafficking case in Georgia to speak at free event
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Lawyer who prosecuted first federal human trafficking case in Georgia to speak at free event

Experts have said that Savannah has an acute sex trafficking problem. Compared to communities of similar size and population, Savannah is a target largely because of the ports, the I-95 corridor and the tourism industry, in addition to relatively close proximity to major sex trafficking hubs, such as Miami, Atlanta and Tampa. On Sept. 20,…

Transportation Subject to Multiple Threats by a Range of Actors, DHS Warns – HS Today
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Transportation Subject to Multiple Threats by a Range of Actors, DHS Warns – HS Today

The 2024 threat assessment from the Department of Homeland Security says domestic and foreign adversaries likely will continue to threaten the integrity of U.S. critical infrastructure—including the transportation sector—over the next year, in part because they perceive targeting these sectors would have cascading impacts on U.S. industries and the American way of life. “From attacks…

16 women graduate from CATCH Court, a criminal justice program for victims of human trafficking – Ohio Capital Journal
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16 women graduate from CATCH Court, a criminal justice program for victims of human trafficking – Ohio Capital Journal

Liyah Guilkey was able to leave prison to access CATCH Court, a specialized docket in the Franklin County Municipal Court for women in the system who are victims of human trafficking. “Every person that wrote you off as no good, who viewed you as a commodity and treated you as if you were disposable, made a…

Blackburn Center continues to expand Red Sand Project, drawing awareness to human trafficking
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Blackburn Center continues to expand Red Sand Project, drawing awareness to human trafficking

Sep. 18—Throughout September, Westmoreland County residents may have noticed red sand filling in the sidewalk cracks at prominent locations such as Independence Health System hospitals, the county courthouse, local libraries and Seton Hill University. A sign accompanying the bright red sand notes that it is part of the Red Sand Project, a nationwide initiative to…

Free Counter Sex Trafficking Resources for Law Enforcement – Guardian Group
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Free Counter Sex Trafficking Resources for Law Enforcement – Guardian Group

The UN recently did a study and found that 27.6 million victims of trafficking exist across the globe, yet governments across the country only identified 115,324 victims [1]. This is less than half of 1 percent of victims being identified. “Without effective victim identification, governments cannot hold traffickers accountable, and people of goodwill cannot offer tailored,…

New hotel human trafficking course helps ‘lift up the standards’
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New hotel human trafficking course helps ‘lift up the standards’

By Kaitlyn McMahon, Capital News Service RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia hotel employees are being trained how to recognize and report the signs of human trafficking in an effort to reduce the number of victims. The 30-minute, online training program officially launched this year. Current employees had to complete the course by the end of June….

Former freelancer for Exitus calls CEO ‘con artist’
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Former freelancer for Exitus calls CEO ‘con artist’

Editor’s note: we have colleagues that work with Exitus and this is heartbreaking. We are reporting the news; not taking sides. You need to know what is happening in the news. SALT LAKE CITY — A former freelancer for an anti-human trafficking organization whose founder is now in jail on fraud charges, is calling Exitus…