Human Trafficking Prevention Tips
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United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County

Human Trafficking Prevention Tips

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February 1, 2017

Written by Julie Divjak, Director of Community Impact at United Way

Human trafficking means buying and selling human beings for the purposes of exploitation, often through commercial sex or labor. It is a violation of our human rights and is often referred to as "modern-day slavery." Traffickers recruit and harbor victims through force, fraud and coercion. One-third of human trafficking victims are children and the average age that a child is trafficked is thirteen.

As we round out Human Trafficking Prevention month, here are some tips to educate yourself on the issue, and equip you to stop trafficking in its tracks, courtesy of Unlucky Thirteen:

Facts about child sex trafficking:

  • An estimated 300,000 children become victims of sex trafficking every year.
  • Most children who are trafficked come from typical homes and go to school regularly.
  • Children may be "groomed" by their trafficker in their own neighborhood or school.
  • Pimps kidnap or coerce children right off the street in almost every major city in the U.S.
  • Sites like Craigslist, Backpage, and Red Book are used to sell children to local and overseas pedophiles daily.
  • Child victims of sex trafficking are brainwashed into believing that they are worthless and that nobody will want them anymore. This makes them extremely afraid to flee or run away from the abductor.
  • 92% of youth trafficked in Milwaukee are females.
  • 78% of youth bought and sold by human traffickers in Milwaukee are African American.
  • 79% of human trafficking cases reported in Wisconsin occur in the City of Milwaukee, but trafficking has been documented in all 72 counties of Wisconsin.

Signs that a teen may be a victim of sex trafficking:

  • Receipt of expensive gifts
  • Multiple cell phones
  • Less interest in age-appropriate activities
  • Untreated sexually transmitted diseases
  • Avoiding eye contact or social interaction and displaying low self-esteem
  • Signs of physical injuries and abuse
  • Drastic changes in attitude, clothing, and friends
  • Numerous inconsistencies in their story
  • Works excessively long and/or unusual hours
  • High security measures exist in the work and/or living locations
  • Inability to clarify where they are staying or not having an address

If you believe someone you know is being trafficked or if you are being trafficked:

  • Call the Milwaukee Police, 414-933-4444, or 9-1-1 in an emergency.
  • Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center 24-Hour Hotline, 1-888-373-7888, or text "INFO" or "HELP" to 233733.
  • Click Here for local resources for teens in difficult situations.
  • Click Here for tips for talking to youth about human trafficking.
  • To learn more about Human Trafficking, visit Unlucky Thirteen.

Blog originally posted on BabyCanWait.com.

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