How the increase of human trafficking can be changed through awareness
Human traffickers are recruiting women and taking control over their bodies by putting a price on people’s lives.
The number of cases for human trafficking has increased in the year 2020.
Human trafficking may occur anywhere, even in the most unexpected places. Sex and labor trafficking are occurring in California and some people aren’t aware of it.
Human trafficking is the second largest criminal activity in the world.”
— Kendis Parls, Executive Director of Truckers Against Trafficking
According to the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline Statistics, California had 1,507 human trafficking cases in 2019. In comparison to other states in the United States, California was the state with the highest number of cases.
Sex and labor traffickers are recruiting young people and exploiting them for the profit gained.
A recent case appeared in Long Beach, California.
In September of this year, there were three missing girls who were rescued from being trafficked into prostitution in Long Beach as stated in KTLA News.
Human trafficking survivor, Annika Mack, provides her view on human trafficking.
“Human trafficking happens all around us and we don’t even notice it. For me, if somebody said they cared about me it would have been enough,” said Mack.
There are many organizations in California that promote, educate, and advocate to end human trafficking. Some of those organizations are Truckers Against Trafficking, The Global Center for Women and Justice, and Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Organizations also reach out to survivors to help them spread their powerful message on their encounter with human trafficking. Their story helps others gain confidence in seeking help and the comfort needed to heal.
The director of Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, Maria Elena Perales, contributes her idea of what a human trafficker survivor goes through.
“Once a person is rescued, he or she is no longer a victim; they become survivors. Once a person is rescued that’s not the end of it. They have to deal with a lot of trauma, they are scared, and have to deal with lots of trust issues. After what they’ve gone through, how can they trust anyone,” said Perales.
The act of human trafficking affects those who have been trafficked and creates an overall awareness to get others involved.
Vanguard University professor Ruthi Hanchett, who raises awareness and trains on the issues of human trafficking through The Global Center for Women and Justice at Vanguard in Costa Mesa, gave her input on labor trafficking.
“Products we buy such as clothing can be made by people who are enslaved. At the end of the day, we all contribute to the problem of slavery,” said Hanchett.
Now more than ever, people have been experiencing human trafficking in front of our own eyes and it’s up to us as a society to bring about change.
“People need to be more educated and aware of human trafficking because you might think you are safe but in reality, you are not. Anything can go wrong and we have to become aware of our surroundings and pay close attention to what is going on,” said Perales.
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Fatima Carrera • Dec 15, 2020 at 1:48 pm
This article was very detailed and informative. The information shown was very shocking to read about, especially since I wasn’t aware about how common human trafficking can actually be. I’m glad this is something that is being talked about more often.
Cecilia Giles • Dec 14, 2020 at 9:48 am
This is an important topic to talk about. Everything that you provided in this article is important information. Thank you for sharing this article with us.
Bryanna Rodriguez • Nov 10, 2020 at 1:27 pm
Thank you for sharing this article. I have never really paid attention to this at is rarely on the news but now I am aware.
Helena Urquiza • Oct 23, 2020 at 8:31 am
Thank you for this article. I knew human trafficking was a big thing and pretty known in Santa Ana/ the Orange County area, but these statistics are terrifying. This is an issue that people need to talk about way more. I think continuing to write about serious topics like this and bringing light to these very real issues can be an amazing thing to do.
Gabriela Santos • Oct 21, 2020 at 9:53 pm
Thank you so much for the article. This was something I never knew was around here and it really is something that you barely hear in news.
Susana Giles • Oct 21, 2020 at 4:57 pm
This is a very important article, but it’s great to have someone spreading awareness. I wasn’t aware of all of this going on but it’s great to be informed about what’s going on in our world today. Thank you for spreading awareness, what you’re doing is really important in our world to stop this from happening.
Valerye Zamudio • Oct 21, 2020 at 11:28 am
This is a very important article since many aren’t quite aware of how often human trafficking happens or how close they may be to it. I had recently heard about human trafficking occurring at Mainplace Mall where various people are accustomed to go, so stay safe!
Ines Gonzalez • Oct 21, 2020 at 9:03 am
This is a very informative and helpful article. I knew this was going on but I didn’t know how huge this was. Reading through the article I really learned a lot. This was also very well written.
Julie Nguyen • Oct 20, 2020 at 9:26 pm
Thank you for spreading awareness on what’s currently happening in society. My family has always told me to be careful going out and that it’s been happening more lately. Although, I wasn’t aware of what the statistics were and find them extremely scary. Not to mention, my friend sent me a post awhile back stating that people have been alarmed or targeted for sex trafficking more frequently at the mall. It’s scary how dangerous the world can be, especially at night.
Andoe Glaser • Oct 20, 2020 at 10:31 am
This is a very important article. I was not aware that human trafficking is the second largest criminal activity in the world. I was also not aware that we can be a part of the problem. I think awareness is really important and that if we start changing our consumer habits we can help reduce human trafficking.
Joselin Corrales • Oct 19, 2020 at 9:48 pm
I wasn’t aware that there was so much human trafficking happening all around until I read this. It really shows how dangerous the world is and how we have to be careful because anyone can end in the human trafficking. Thank you for bringing awareness about this problem and letting others know about what’s going on in California.
Fatima Del Carmen • Oct 19, 2020 at 8:57 am
This is a very informative article, and I was shocked when you mentioned the statistics. Your article was very interesting and shared many important facts about the effects of human trafficking on its survivors and we have to step up and make a change to our society. Keep up the great work!
Mr. Voight • Oct 18, 2020 at 11:08 pm
Thank you Aliris for bringing a spotlight to this global problem.
Norio Kaneko • Oct 17, 2020 at 4:28 pm
Excellent start! I strongly suggest this writer will follow up on this article. For example, who/what are perpetrators of this horrible crime and who is responsible to stop this(Beyond law enforcement), Who/Which organization are looking the other way to benefit themselves? etc I look forward to a next issue.
EmCo • Oct 16, 2020 at 9:44 pm
It’s compelling how our daily habits could contribute to the exploitation of others without us knowing or intending too. This article was eye-opening. Thank you!
Michelle Kerk • Oct 16, 2020 at 3:22 pm
Thank you for raising more awareness about this serious issue that so many are oblivious to.
Damian Mendoza • Oct 16, 2020 at 1:59 pm
WOW. I didn’t know that this was a huge problem. Those statistics were kinda shocking