Warning Lights
A Preventative Approach By Raising Awareness About Human Trafficking
THE DARKNESS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND ONLINE PREDATION IS LURKING AROUND US,
BUT ALL YOU NEED IS ONE SOURCE OF LIGHT TO MANAGE YOUR PATH SAFELY.
#BeAwareOrBeware
What is human Trafficking?
Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Human trafficking is the second-largest criminal enterprise in Michigan. It is defined as the “recruiting, harboring, transportation, providing, or obtaining of a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through force, fraud, or coercion”
(U.S. Department of State)
Learn More About Human Trafficking
THE 4 P'S OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
The four P’s of anti-human trafficking are Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Partnerships, which are essential for a comprehensive and practical approach to combating human trafficking.
Prevention
WARNING LIGHTS SESSIONS OF AWARENESS (FOR ALL AGES)
This involves reducing the risk of trafficking by addressing the root causes, raising awareness, and ensuring compliance with labor regulations and trafficking laws.
Protection
PROMPT RESPONSE TO REQUESTS FOR HELP AND RESOURCES
This focuses on identifying victims, providing them with necessary services (including protective, psychological, and legal support), and supporting their recovery and reintegration.
Prosecution
COMMITTED TO SEEKING JUSTICE AND FIGHTING FOR WHAT IS RIGHT
This entails identifying and bringing traffickers to justice and ensuring that those responsible for trafficking are held accountable.
Partnerships
CONNECTED WITH LOCAL AND FEDERAL AGENCIES TO HANDLE CASES EFFECTIVELY
This emphasizes the importance of collaboration between local and international organizations, law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders to combat human trafficking effectively.
Shining a Light on Human Trafficking
Myths About Human Trafficking
The facts are indisputable. Human Trafficking affects affluent areas just as regularly as it does non-affluent ones. In fact, anyone who can make a trafficker money is at risk. According to the Department of Homeland Security, there is no single profile of a trafficking victim.
According to Homeland Security, "human trafficking is the crime of compelling a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts." According to the Polaris Project, there are more situations of labor trafficking than any other form.
According to data from the World's Portal on human trafficking, nearly half of all victims were trafficked by someone they knew. 41% were trafficked by a family member.
According to data from the Portal for Human trafficking, more than half were victimized by a friend or family member.
49% - Family member
11% - Friend
According to the State Department, 40% of those who are trafficked are boys. This is likely significantly underrepresented since, in many cases, boys do not know they are being trafficked or are too embarrassed to say anything about it. LGBTQ+ boys are becoming the most vulnerable within that demographic.
There are many contexts in which an individual consents to being trafficked. This does not make them any less of a victim than those who are forced. Some of those contexts include:
- Mental Health
- Sex Work
- Being a Migrant/Laborer
- Age
- Physically Limited
Ultimately, it's about the intent of the trafficker.
BE AWARE OR BEWARE:
GROOMING & SEXTORTION
Children and Grooming / Online Predators
There are various dangers lurking online that affect minors in several different ways. The Internet has expanded how young people communicate and interact with their peers. Young people use popular social media sites to stay in touch with their friends and to meet new people. Even on websites geared towards children and young adults, adult online predators often look to interact with children. In the most serious cases, this can lead to real-life encounters. – Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center
Here are some statistics on online predators.
An Estimated 500,000 Online Predators Each Day
Children between the ages of 12 and 15 are especially susceptible to being groomed or manipulated by adults they meet online.
According to the FBI...
more than 50% of online Victims are between the Ages of 12 and 15
89% of Sexual Advances...
directed at children occur in Internet chatrooms or through instant messaging. In over a quarter of all reported exploitation incidents, the online predator will ask a child for sexually explicit photos of themselves.
4% of Children...
receive aggressive solicitations from adults online, including attempts to contact the children in person or over the phone.
58% of Parents...
report being concerned about the threats that strangers pose online. Two out of ten children between the ages of 8 and 11 are aware of the issue and are concerned that strangers may find out information about them. While using social media, forty percent of children remove their privacy settings to attract more friends or followers. - Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center