Complete Your CE Test Online - Click Here when I was 8. He sold them and bought drugs. I started prostituting at age 11. Mom knew about the abuse, but didn’t want to say anything because she wanted to keep her husband.” Anonymous 17-year-old. Traffickers prey on vulnerable, at-risk youths because they can be isolated from family and friends, manipulated, exploited and soon become dependent on the trafficker. The women and children are dehumanized and treated like marketable commodities, so they become detached from life and often believe being a victim is their future. The market for boys in sexual trafficking is very strong, and 95 percent or more of all commercial sex involves boys serving adult males. Half of the adult males who exploit boys are married men, often with children of their own. Research of boys trafficked between the ages 12 and 17 who are gay, transgender or confused about their sexuality shows they are at high risk for child sex trafficking. Ray (2006) found that at least 10,000 youths in Ohio fall in these categories of sexual identity. Many of these youths are runaways or homeless, which compounds their vulnerability as they turn to prostitution for survival (Raleigh-Duroff, 2004). Adult women trafficked for the sex trade It is difficult to identify the number of adult women who may be victims of sex trafficking because these victims are often arrested for prostitution, solicitation or loitering. The data on these arrests often does not address victims who are being controlled by traffickers. There is little public awareness about adult women victims of human trafficking. Most of the public is not aware that prostitution may be a form of modern-day slavery for women who are citizens of the United States. These women may begin when they are under the age of 18 and continue to be sexually exploited into adulthood. Often, they become victims of substance abuse to relieve pain and trauma, and if addicted, the drug dealer is the primary trafficker. To combat human trafficking, the U.S. Attorney General’s Office identified a critical need to build public awareness for the health of victimized trafficked women. In 2002, David Sherman, an adult entertainment industry manager for the Déjà Vu’s Adult Clubs for 14 years, testified about rampant drug abuse in strip clubs, tax evasion, prostitution, underage dancers, and payoffs or “preferred treatment” for many patrons. He testified to the existence of after-hour parties, drug dealing in clubs and money laundering. Sherman detailed how girls and women were recruited and commercially sexually exploited (U.S. Senate Judiciary on Civil Justice, 2002). RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF TRAFFICKING How can the public know if someone is a victim of human trafficking or if this is happening in their communities? There are a number of indicators of human trafficking that go unnoticed. The United Nations developed a global initiative to fight human trafficking and developed an extensive list of indicators. According to the U.N., the presence or absence of these indicators neither proves nor disproves that human trafficking is taking place, but their presence should lead to investigation. Indicators of human trafficking The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (GIFT) provides the most comprehensive list of human trafficking indicators, but not all the indicators are present in all human trafficking situations. One of the most powerful weapons to combat human trafficking is to raise public awareness to recognize the indicators of abuse so authorities can be notified. The presence of any of the indicators should lead to investigation. The indicators are divided into six categories: General indicators People who have been trafficked may: ● ● Believe they must work against their will and feel that they cannot leave. ● ● Be unable to leave their work environment. ● ● Show signs that their movements are being controlled. ● ● Show fear or anxiety. ● ● Be subjected to violence or threats of violence against themselves or loved ones. ● ● Suffer injuries that appear to be the result of an assault. ● ● Suffer injuries or impairments typical of certain jobs or control measures. ● ● Be distrustful of authorities. ● ● Be threatened with being turned into authorities. ● ● Not be in possession of their passports or travel documents because someone else is holding them. ● ● Be afraid of revealing their immigration status. ● ● Have false identity or travel documents. ● ● Be found in or in connection with a location often used for exploitation. ● ● Not know the local language. ● ● Not know their home or work address. ● ● Allow others to speak for them when addressed directly. ● ● Act as if someone else instructed them. ● ● Be forced to work under substandard conditions. ● ● Be disciplined by group punishment. ● ● Be unable to negotiate working conditions. ● ● Receive little or no payment or have no access to their earnings. ● ● Work excessively long hours over long periods of time. ● ● Not have days off. ● ● Live in poor or substandard conditions. ● ● Have no access to medical care. ● ● Have limited or no social interaction. ● ● Have limited contact with family or others outside of their environment. ● ● Be unable to communicate freely with others. ● ● Believe they are bonded by debt. ● ● Be in a situation of dependence. ● ● Come from a known trafficking origination country. ● ● Have their fees for transportation paid for by facilitators whom they must pay back by working or providing services in the destination country. ● ● Have acted on a false promise. Children Children who have been trafficked may: ● ● Have no access to their parents or guardians. ● ● Seem intimidated and behave in a way that does not correspond with typical behavior of children their age. ● ● Have no friends of their own age outside of work. ● ● Have no access to education. ● ● Have no time for playing. ● ● Live apart from other children in substandard accommodations. ● ● Eat apart from others in the family. ● ● Be given only leftovers to eat. ● ● Be engaged in work that is not suitable for children. ● ● Travel unaccompanied by adults or in groups with persons who are not relatives. ● ● Have child-sized clothing typically worn for doing manual or sex work. ● ● Be present when toys and children’s clothing are found in inappropriate places, such as brothels or factories. ● ● Be referred to as an unaccompanied child that the adult has “found.” ● ● Be unaccompanied children carrying telephone numbers for calling taxis. ● ● Be cases of illegal adoption, smuggling or kidnapping. Domestic servitude People who have been trafficked for the purpose of domestic servitude may: ● ● Live with the family. Massage.EliteCME.com Page 25