WHY CALL EXISTS

Our most vulnerable populations, our communities riddled with poverty, gang violence and high incidences of crime, are all targets of pimps and traffickers. While knowledge increases of these crimes, lack of support remains for key stakeholders whose goals include eradicating human trafficking and providing victims and survivors with tools needed to reclaim their lives. Additional barriers impede the roles of aid workers, including unjust policies and laws which protect pimps, buyers, and traffickers, instead of victims and those most at risk.

Anyone can become a victim of human trafficking. Non-discriminatory, these crimes are not confined to one group, specific location or demographic. While our most vulnerable in the United States include children, youth in foster care, undocumented immigrants, individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues, system impacted citizens, and LGBTQ+, the reality is victims of these crimes also reach into universities, corporations, churches, executive leadership, and government offices. The internet and technology also can spread these crimes into every imaginable space.

An extreme violation of basic human rights, human trafficking is the act of exploiting and illegally trading human beings. By harboring, transporting, recruiting, and/or enslaving victims, criminals deprive and rob them of their freedom. Using coercion, fraud, force, all for the purpose of exploitation, human trafficking is a crime of power and control, usually with the victim being bought or sold for the financial gain of others.