FIVE COMMUNITY SAFETY TIPS TO HELP YOU STAY SAFE FROM TRAFFICKERS
The word has been out for a long time to traffickers that the suburbs and rural communities have ample youth and young adults to prey upon. Why? Because these youth tend to have fewer "street smarts."
Dispelling the "stranger danger" myth: While strangers do prey on youth, the word "stranger" conjures an image of a scary-looking man in an overcoat. But strangers, especially traffickers, can act nice. So when an attractive man approaches and compliments your 13 year old daughter (which is the average age of entry into prostitution), she doesn't think "stranger," she thinks "wow, he must think I'm really pretty!"
Safety Tip #1: Any unknown person, no matter how attractive or nice, who approaches you or your child with compliments and attention, should be regarded with caution.
Traffickers are smart and cunning. They know teen-lingo, they know where teens hang-out (in communities and online) and they know how to spot someone who is vulnerable. Some traffickers boast that they can recruit a girl in a matter of minutes. Sadly, this can happen but it doesn't have to happen to you or your child if you're prepared.
Safety Tip #2: Limit hanging out in a public place by yourself. Do not engage in conversation, other than polite pleasantries, if approached by an unknown person. Make sure to look him (or her!) in the eyes and act confident, even if you don't feel so.
If you cannot avoid being alone in public, situate yourself around employees, family-groups, elderly couples, well-lit areas etc. and be aware of your surroundings and who you can approach for help in case of an emergency.
If you're meeting a friend out in public, make sure to schedule a time and location to meet, preferably by the customer service desk. And when you're with a friend, still be wary of any person(s) who approaches you.
Safety Tip #3: Do not assume you or your loved one could never be lured into prostitution or pornography just because of where you live or who you are. Traffickers are not discriminating.
There does not appear to be a clear-cut nationwide trend as far as what type of youth and young adults are targeted. In fact, all races, socioeconomic levels, religion, ethnicity and gender have been reported among victim profiles.Traffickers may be luring youth or adults right in your community or through Internet social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook.
Safety Tip #4: Stay away from men and women who approach you in public or through social networking sites and try to "groom" you by:
- showering you with compliments
- wanting to see you again
- wanting to buy you gifts
- reinforcing your anger or complaints about your parent(s)
- persuading you to take sexy or nude pictures of yourself
- persuading you to look at pornography
Traffickers who "groom" are looking to get their potential victim to "fall" for them. Once their victim is emotionally attached, he will use more extreme psychological and physical methods to force her into prostitution or pornography.
So how does a trafficker force a person into prostitution or pornography?
First, it is important to note that force does not solely refer to physical force. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, force can refer to the capacity to persuade or convince.
Traffickers utilize a wide variety of psychological and physical methods to force complicity. Of course not every trafficker uses the same techniques, but the following is a general idea of the types of force involved:
Psychological Force:
-Instilling self-blame to make the victimized person feel like what is happening is their fault
-The “love lie:” similar to a situation of domestic violence where the perpetrator alternates violence with attention and gifts
-Indoctrinating complicity through the use of hard-core pornography or by shaming the victimized person into stripping
-Watching all actions and removing choice and freedom
-Social and/or physical isolation
-Threat of violence to self and/or family
-Impregnating victimized person and then using the child as bait to force complicity
A trafficker is a person who profits off of the work of an individual who is being oppressed and controlled through physical or psychological means, either in the sex industry or in forced labor (like agricultural fields, restaurants, motels etc.).
Traffickers can be:
Pimps
Organized criminals
Gang members
Parents or family members
Individuals
If you or a loved one is in trouble, there is help:
Call the Nineline at 1-800-999-9999 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888 for immediate help and assistance any time of day or night and in any language, or to report a suspected victim.
Llame al "Nineline" si necesita ayuda inmediata o para reportar una posible víctima.
If you are not in immediate danger, but need assistance or would like to talk to our Outreach staff, please call (860) 447-2060 or email us.
To report an online predator, or someone who has made unwanted/unsolicited sexual advances to you or your child (e.g.-emailing or posting pornography, asking you to perform sexual acts over a webcam or chatroom, using sexually provocative language etc.) please call the CyberTipLine at 1-800-843-5678 or visit www.cybertipline.com.
Please note that the Barnaba Institute is not affiliated with the Nineline, National Human Trafficking Hotline or the CyberTipLine. The Nineline is a service provided by the Covenant House; the CyberTipLine is a service of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Human Trafficking Hotline is a service provided by Polaris Project.
