Preventing Trafficking in Our Most Vulnerable Population: Youth
Human trafficking thrives on chaos and desperation in communities already ravaged by ills like poverty, addiction, etc. While we cannot know for certain the effects of COVID – 19 on sex and labor trafficking in real-time, we can almost accurately predict that communities will be more vulnerable to violence, abuse, and exploitation in the wake of this worldwide economic and social disruption. As the economic fallout of the pandemic deepens and further exacerbates vulnerabilities, communities should anticipate that millions more may fall into labor and sex trafficking in the aftermath of this crisis.
As the economy struggles and people look for employment, they may take jobs that may be exploitative, off the books, less than minimum wage, or with no legal or health protections just to make ends meet. Trafficking already targets marginalized groups, and all available evidence shows that these same people are growing in number and becoming more vulnerable.
Without schools as protection, there is a great concern for children as a targeted group. Schools play a huge role in the lives of students who are homeless, and their challenges grow as the coronavirus threat keeps schools closed across the country. Students and families often rely on schools as a vital source of food and childcare and they have very few options outside of the school system.
Awareness about human trafficking and the factors that make individuals and communities vulnerable has increased, but prevention efforts designed to proactively address known risk factors are lacking. Efforts typically address exploitation after harm occurs. Preventing, identifying, and serving trafficking victims, especially among our most vulnerable youth, require a multi-system, coordinated approach within and across the local, tribal, state, and federal levels.
At the local level, it is essential for runaway and homeless youth service providers and child welfare staff to work with law enforcement, juvenile corrections, courts, schools, medical and mental health professionals, Child Advocacy Centers, legal service providers, crime victim service providers, and community and faith-based organizations to understand the problem of trafficking as it relates to their community to formulate a coherent response.
Coordinated efforts going forward also need to involve better local data collection on the prevalence and needs of victims, as data can inform targeted intervention strategies. Outreach workers and law enforcement officers can work collaboratively to collect and compile data on victims identified in the streets, and programs and shelters should supplement that data by tracking trends on victims that are requesting services to better predict vulnerable areas and targets of human trafficking networks.
Understanding how marginalized communities are likely to face greater risk than ever, is the first step towards formulating an effective response towards protecting our most vulnerable populations from trafficking. That has always been the case and is even more urgent now, especially when it comes to protecting our youth. While fighting a COVID 19 and a global pandemic, we also must work to prevent another epidemic – human trafficking.
