Difference between revisions of "Understanding Human Trafficking"

==Who is Trafficked?==

*'''Political Instability''': War, civil unrest, and natural disasters can lead to forced migration whereby people end up homeless, without work, without family nearby and living in constant fear.

*'''Poverty''': Traffickers offer poor and marginalized people false promises of a better life. These people may take greater risks in their attempts to provide for themselves and their families.

*'''Racism and the Legacy of Colonialism''': Racism and colonialism contribute to the marginalization of people, particularly indigenous populations. Colonialism is the practice by which a nation controls a foreign territory for the purpose of exploiting its resources and people. The legacy of colonialism continues to impact entire communities as people struggle to exercise their basic civil and human rights.

*'''Ethnicity''': Aboriginal women and girls are uniquely vulnerable to human trafficking because they are more likely to be impacted by other factors associated with residential school abuse, gender inequality, poverty, domestic violence or the child welfare system.

*'''Gender Inequality''': In many cultures, women are seen as being of less value than men. Women are paid less for equal work, have fewer rights, less health care, less education, less property and may be expected to be submissive to men.

*'''Addictions''': Traffickers sometimes supply drugs to break down resistance, cause dependency and coerce people into forced labour or sex. As a trafficked person becomes addicted, the trafficker uses that vulnerability to maintain control.

*'''Mental Health''': People with mental health issues may struggle with limited capacity to consent, assess risk or detect ill intentions. Traffickers are skilled at detecting these vulnerabilities and manipulating them to their advantage.

*'''Gang Coercion''': Females can be exploited by entering a gang as a girlfriend of a gang member and then being sold for sexual acts. Often youth born into gang

*'''Online Vulnerability''': Traffickers increasingly use social networking and video chat sites to lure, advertise and exploit people. Traffickers then use explicit or compromising photos to further their control - threatening to publish these images online where family members will see them. Online social networking sites are now prime recruiting locations, replacing easier to monitor locations such as shopping malls, schools, bus stations and parties. Children and youth are particularly vulnerable to being lured this way.