3 Ways Human Traffickers Lure Economically Vulnerable and Homeless Individuals

Human Traffickers know how to exploit vulnerability in any area of an individual’s life. If someone needs love and validation, they will romance and appear supportive. If they need shelter, safety, and basic needs, they will provide it. But it always comes with a catch, a pause at the end of the sentence followed by a demand. There is something we all need as humans that these predators offer to provide: stability and safety, a roof over your head, the finances you need to survive, and food to fill your belly (Polaris Project, 2021). When you are in poverty, facing homelessness or already homeless, the cards of economic inequality are already stacked against you. This is a situation that already makes you vulnerable to being approached by a person ready to exploit you. This manifests in three ways. 

Firstly, they offer you financial security which turns out to be a false promise. In 2016 Covenant House performed a two-year research project aimed at learning about the vulnerabilities youth and young adults face as they served in their shelters. From 641 homeless and runaway individuals they found that a staggering 91% of these clients were approached by a stranger or someone they knew and offered work that turned out to be fraudulent, a scam, and a lure into an exploitative situation (Murphy 2016). Another study with this same population displayed this trend as well, 67% of their participants experienced psychological and financial coercion, 54% found that their work was different than what was promised (Schilling, Greeson, Wasch & Treglia, 2018) When you are desperate for money just so you can be off the streets or have a proper meal, it is tempting to take an offer that sounds almost too good to be true.

This need pushes you to survive, and you will find yourselves doing things you never thought that you would. This leads us to the second point; traffickers use your situation to convince you selling sex or drugs is the best and quickest way to fulfill those needs. In fact, 41% of homeless youth and young adults mentioned in the previous study were approached for sex their first night on the streets (Schilling et al. 2018). Sobering, isn’t it? If you were desperate, hungry, cold, and on the street would you say yes to that offer? 

In the Covenant House study, they found a direct correlation between human trafficking, survival sex and labor trafficking, where 1 in 5 of their clients met the federal definition for human trafficking in the United States. 42% of these individuals who were defined as being trafficked for sex noted they did so based on survival and did not start out as being forced. For those that were labor trafficked, 81% of them were coerced to sell or deal in drugs (Murphy, 2016). Engaging in risky and illegal activity puts these individuals at risk for being arrested and developing legal histories, further keeping them trapped in poverty and unable to leave their exploitive situations. It becomes an endless cycle of need, fear, and control with more debt, and a need to continue their relationship with those exploiting them. 

At the root of these previous two areas is economic inequality, oppressive systems, and generational poverty. A human trafficker takes advantage of systems that are already at work in our world making certain populations vulnerable. While we will cover this topic in more detail in our next blog, it is worth noting here the impact of generational poverty and economic inequality. These issues set up individuals to be uniquely vulnerable because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, family history of poverty, or immigration status.  As Polaris in their blog Racial Disparities, COVID-19 and Human Trafficking, states “In the case of trafficking, people living in poverty likely have fewer options available to them. They may have no economic option outside of their trafficking situation to support their families; or they may be more vulnerable to false promises that lure them into trafficking” (2021).  With this predisposition, many of these individuals will find themselves more vulnerable to being coerced or just brought up in a culture where exploitation and abuse is normalized to financially survive and have stability in life. 

It’s what we all want, isn’t it? To feel safe and secure, to be financially stable and able to survive. Yet many individuals in poverty and facing homelessness do not have that privilege. Because of that inequality they are made more vulnerable and at risk for exploitation. Every one of us are just a few disasters away from losing everything, and the recent pandemic has sharply put this into focus, including the disparities that exist in our society among those with privilege and those who experience discrimination and racism. Human Traffickers exist within this system and take advantage of it, exploiting individuals when they are most vulnerable and in need. This should enrage us and push us to be a part of dismantling systems of oppression that allow human trafficking to thrive. 

References

• Murphy, Laura T. (2016). “Labor and Sex Trafficking Among Homeless Youth: A Ten-City Study Executive Summery.”Loyla University Of New Orleans Modern slavery Research Project.” Retrieved August 17, 2021. (https://www.covenanthouse.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/Loyola%20Multi -City%20Executive%20Summary%20FINAL.pdf). 

• Polaris project. (2021). “Human Trafficking does not Happen in a Vacuum.” Accessed August 18, 2021. https://polarisproject.org/blog/2021/01/human-trafficking-does-not-happen-in-	a-vacuum/.

• Polaris Project. (2021). “Racial Disparities, COVID-19 and Human Trafficking. July 29, 2020. Accessed on August 18, 2021. https://polarisproject.org/blog/2020/07/racial-disparities-covid-19-and-human-trafficking/.

• Schilling Wolfe, Debra, Greeson, Johanna K.P. Wasch, Sarah & Treglia, Daniel. (2018). 	

• “Human Trafficking Prevalence and Child Welfare Risk Factors Among Homeless Youth: A Multi-City Study.” The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research (January 2018). Retrieved August 17, 2021. https://www.covenanthouse.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/Field%20Center%20Full%20Report%20on%20Human%20Trafficking%20Prevalence.pdf