This fall UNH Manchester hosted an event to raise awareness of the problem of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery; high profits and low risk.
Erin Albright, the Anti-Trafficking Regional Coordinator at the International Institute of New England, and the Regional Program Director for foundation Give Way to Freedom, used her critical knowledge of the issue to lead the discussion.
Many people at this event, and in general, assume that human trafficking is something that occurs in far-off places like Thailand. Yet, there are at least $1.5 million people forced into labor nationwide. Forced labor is when someone uses violence, threats, lies, debt bondage, and other forms of coercion to force people to work against their will. It can occur in many different industries; agriculture, factories, beauty services, and domestic workers within private homes. Contrary to popular belief, human trafficking, does not just involve sexual exploitation of women, however that is still a very prevalent type of human trafficking.
A very important topic discussed dealt with the question of why victims don’t just leave the situation. It is crucial to understand that it is not just the physical threat which victims face, the psychological torment can be much worse.
Traffickers use any perceived vulnerability to exploit the victim into submission. The background, culture or stigma attached to certain behaviors are commonly used to keep the victim from leaving. Women forced into such a life are referred to as prostitutes, not victims, which is inaccurate and brands and degrades them even more. It is usual that sex trafficking victims also have arrests and convictions looming over them, treatment like that by law enforcement does not always encourage them to seek help. These traffickers generally create a climate of fear and are smart enough to force victims into a sense of dependency.
Ms. Albright was able to make the connections to everyday life that really instills a lasting impression on the audience. Awareness is the first step, on a long road, to ending the problem of slavery in the modern world. It is not some far off problem; it is happening right in our city.
So what can you do to help? Ms. Albright recommends, “Don’t make your career into the issue but instead bring the issue into your career.” People are outraged to discover slavery is still occurring today, and rightfully so, but don’t take this to mean you need to center everything on it.
Instead create a career that will enable you to help in different ways. Are you studying to be a graphic designer? Then offer to help create flyers or design websites for different organizations. In general you can volunteer for programs that support victims, become an activist or promote awareness in your spare time. These are practical and important parts in the struggle to end modern slavery.
