Human Trafficking: How Do We Fight It?

By Joseph D’Arcangelo ‘24

Source for photo above: pixabay

The 2023 Global Slavery Index 据估计，在2021年的任何一天，平均有1起.1 million people enslaved in the United States alone. 对于一个当年拥有3.3亿人口的国家来说，这是一个令人担忧的数字. 因此，这就提出了一个问题，作为个人，我们能做些什么来打击这种卑鄙的罪行?

According to The United Nations, human trafficking is “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.”

据统计，许多州的人口贩运比全国平均水平高得多. According to the World Population Review在美国，人口贩卖最多的三个州分别是密西西比州、内华达州和密苏里州. Mississippi has 7.92 human trafficking cases per 100,000 people, Nevada has 6.26, and Missouri has 3.86. Although these states may seem random, when the list is increased to view the top ten states, one alarming trend appears. 

Sources for above chart, NY Requirements and World Atlas

*Cities listed in bold appear in the top 10 of both lists

尽管将人口贩运归咎于贫困或非法移民是很常见的, the most obvious link is with tourism. 旅游业和人口贩运的热点图几乎相同，十大旅游城市中有六个城市也在十大人口贩运城市之列. 要了解这种重叠，首先看看美国旅游业的热点图 here, and then the heat map for human trafficking here. 

了解人口贩运与旅游业之间的这种联系是了解如何预防和打击人口贩运的第一步. 这些数据不应该被用作不去这些城市旅行的借口，因为可以采取各种预防措施来防止自己被贩运. 要知道如何防止人口贩运，首先要知道谁处于危险之中. 

According to criminologists Emily Troshynski and Jennifer Blank 在他们突破性的学术研究论文中，他们采访了伦敦地区真正的人贩子, there was one common target: foreign young women and girls. 尽管这篇文章关注的是伦敦地区的人口贩卖, 我们有理由认为，由于伦敦是一个旅游热点，其他旅游热点的人贩子也会使用类似的策略. 这是因为不可否认，人口贩运与非法性交易有关. 在美国，大约88%被起诉的人口贩卖案件被归类为某种形式的性贩卖 The National Human Trafficking Hotline. 

有了这些数据，我们就更清楚了为什么人口贩运和旅游业之间的联系如此深刻. 因为人贩子主要想抓外国年轻妇女和女孩, 他们把行动集中在这些人最多的地方. 

With this knowledge, one obvious rule of thumb comes up to prevent human trafficking; when you are in a big tourist city keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. 虽然当人们想到人口贩卖时，首先想到的是绑架， not more than 3% of human trafficking cases actually involve a kidnapping. Human trafficking is not this in your face, obvious and grand crime; it is done behind closed doors just out of your sight. 大多数情况下，你不会在光天化日之下看到一个年轻女孩在停车场被抓走. 

那么，如果不是绑架，大多数人口贩卖是如何发生的呢? Around 62% 性交易发生在所谓的情人-男孩方法中. 这种操纵手段通常包括人贩子与他们的目标建立某种关系，给他们买礼物和昂贵的东西. 最终，人贩子能够获得女人的信任，然后能够操纵她做任何事情来和他们在一起. 从这里，他们可以强迫妇女卖淫或操纵她们离开 然后没收他们的护照、文件和手机，剥夺他们的自由. 

Not all trafficking involves the sex trade; labor trafficking often happens in a similar way. Approximately 71% 那些被贩卖到制造业做劳工的人, farming, or hospitality in the United States , and entered the country on a temporary, usually work, visa. These people would work legally for their bosses, who would then threaten them with arrest, violence, sexual assault, 以及无数的其他罪行迫使他们继续为他们工作. 这种情况通常会持续很长一段时间，工人们在有机会逃跑之前就成为了非法移民. Once the work visa expires for these people, the trafficker then has complete control over their lives, as they can threaten the worker with deportation. 

Human traffickers, whether sex or labor traffickers, 几乎总是剥削处于弱势地位的人，迫使他们成为现代奴隶. According to the U.S Department of State, there are several red flags 贩卖人口，他们是:一个人与他的雇主住在一起, they have poor living conditions, the inability to speak to someone alone, they always appear to be scripted, their employer is holding their identity documents, they are submissive or fearful, they show signs of physical abuse, or they are under eighteen and involved in prostitution. 

显然，这些迹象并非人口贩运受害者所独有, 但最好是报告你可能看到的任何迹象，而不是冒险让一个人继续被剥削和奴役. 贩卖人口官员宁愿看到一个错误的报告，也不愿看到另一个人继续过着如此可怕的生活. 

如果你认为你认识或见过的人被拐卖了, it is important to call 911, or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. 国家人口贩运热线还运营着一个网站，可以在线报告犯罪行为. 报告任何你看到的贩卖人口的迹象是很重要的, 如果你想在打击人口贩卖中扮演不同的角色，你可以捐款给 Operation Underground Railroad, 一个帮助执法部门识别人口贩卖的慈善机构, 以及帮助那些最近从人口贩卖中解脱出来的人.