Understanding Human Trafficking in Our Community and Around the World

Approaching Wednesday evening's GIP event I had no clue that California, and more specifically our own city, Los Angeles, had one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the United States.

The speakers explained that our city is an attractive tourist destination with a dense population that understandably contributes to human trafficking in the area. Due to the prevalence of this issue, a variety of organizations have been established to support those affected by trafficking.

Alexandra Badie, a representative of the nonprofit International Sanctuary Organization explained their duty to assist with the reintegration of trafficking victims back into society. The ISO places a high emphasis on providing a sense of safety to these vulnerable women while simultaneously providing them with the tools they need to succeed. They extend a plethora of opportunities to these victims including but not limited to; personal tutoring, healthcare, and employment assistance. The ISO stresses the significance of assisting these victims in attaining a stable mental state after such a traumatic situation.

The panel also discussed the intense complexity of trafficking, as trafficking victims commonly avoid police interaction due to the nature of their situation. Sgt. Jeffrey Walker (Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Taskforce Special Victims Bureau) described the difficulty of having a genuine and comfortable conversation with those exploited by trafficking, as they are often nervous or intimidated by the perpetrators. They may have had negative experiences with the law or simply be afraid of self-incrimination. All of this information presented the commonly overlooked humanity of the victims, as the situation is commonly discussed through statistics rather than unique individual experiences.

During the pandemic, certain aspects of human trafficking have decreased, due to a multitude of restrictions that limit the movement of traffickers. However, desperation due to Covid has increased has been exasperated as many citizens are facing a difficult economic situation and are more susceptible to exploitative situations.

Of course, this presentation left a sense of concern especially due to the locality of the issue, so many audience members were curious how to contribute. The group responded by emphasizing the importance of advocacy and simply spreading awareness for this lesser-discussed issue. Secondly, they highlighted the importance of participating in fair trade commerce, as you may be unwittingly supporting corporations that exploit their trafficked workers. And finally, monetary donations are necessary to keep these non-profits functioning, especially due to the defunding of numerous law enforcement agencies which significantly increased the responsibilitiese of other organizations

Usually, discussions as explicit as these can be incredibly complicated and difficult to discuss, but the speakers simplified the situation and made it more easily understood. As described by Alexandra Badie, the first step to joining the fight is becoming aware of the reality that is human trafficking.