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January Is Human Trafficking Awareness Month

by Shelby Mitchell, Sex Trafficking Victim Advocate, Family Services’ Sexual Assault Center

Each January, National Human Trafficking Awareness Month shines a spotlight on human trafficking, whose victims number more than 25 million people worldwide. With a number that large, it can be hard to comprehend how crimes such as labor and sex trafficking continue to go largely unnoticed in our society. 

U.S. federal law defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts or labor or services against his or her will. The one exception involves minors and commercial sex: Inducing a minor into commercial sex is considered human trafficking regardless of the presence of force, fraud or coercion.

The Action-Means-Purpose (AMP) Model can be helpful in understanding the federal law. Human trafficking occurs when a perpetrator, often referred to as a trafficker, takes an Action, and then employs the Means of force, fraud or coercion for the Purpose of compelling the victim to provide commercial sex acts or labor or services. At a minimum, one element from each column must be present to establish a potential situation of human trafficking. 

Traffickers who buy and sell human beings for profit tend to prey on the most vulnerable among us. Although anyone can become a victim of human trafficking, it’s often teens, runaways, people who are homeless, those with drug and/or alcohol addictions, people with low self-esteem and self-worth, and those with a history of abuse, among others. If traffickers meet someone who does not already have a vulnerability, they create vulnerability by removing someone from support systems, locations and technology, among other methods.

Human trafficking happens in Door County. It affects your neighbors, family members and community members whom you haven’t met yet. Human trafficking is a complex and ever-evolving crime. To learn about warning signs and what you can do to help end this horrible crime, visit polarisproject.org. You can also contact the Sexual Assault Center at 920.746.8996 to learn about what you can do locally.

This article is brought to you in part by the Door County Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Teams and the Door County Elder and Adult-at-Risk Interdisciplinary Team.

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