Letter: YWCA brings awareness to human trafficking, helps victims

Sauk Valley Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

Since January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, let’s learn more about it.

Human trafficking is the use of force, deception, or coercion to obtain labor or perform commercial sex acts and is referred to as “modern slavery.” The three types of trafficking are sex trafficking, forced labor, and debt bondage. Traffickers tend to target women and children, but trafficking can happen to anyone of any age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality. The U.S. State Department estimates that there are 27.6 million victims worldwide at any given time.

Traffickers usually target people who are vulnerable and desperate for solutions. This includes people in poverty, those seeking asylum, individuals with limited language proficiency, and those with unlawful immigration status. To sound appealing, they make promises of stability or a good job. Traffickers also target children in foster care, runaways, those with a history of domestic violence, LGBTQ individuals or those with substance use-problems. The victims are looking for safety and comfort and are promised drugs or a loving relationship by the trafficker, who reaps the profits through force, deception, or coercion. Victims are isolated, threatened, and manipulated to prevent them from leaving.

If you witness or suspect someone being trafficked, find a safe place and call 911 immediately. You can also call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888. The YWCA is a United Way Agency and can help victims. The YWCA 24 hour hotline numbers are 815-626-7277 and 815-288-1011.

Gisella Manera

YWCA of the Sauk Valley

Sterling