How to Help Reduce Sex Trafficking in Your Town
Learn to distinguish sex trafficking from other commercial sex operations., Review posts on personals sites., Track profiles on social media., Create your own blog or website., Start or participate in an online awareness campaign.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn to distinguish sex trafficking from other commercial sex operations.
Unlike other commercial sex, which may or may not be legal depending on where you live, sex trafficking induces or recruits young women into commercial sex using force or fraud.Minors under the age of 18 who work in commercial sex are considered to be victims of sex trafficking without regard to whether they entered the industry due to force, fraud, or coercion.Websites such as the Trafficking Resource Center include links to federal and other laws that deal with sex trafficking in the U.S.
You can use this and other similar websites to research the issue and learn how to identify possible sex trafficking operations. -
Step 2: Review posts on personals sites.
Sex traffickers often use sites such as Backpage and Craigslist that offer free or anonymous personal ads.
These ads may be used to find clients or to recruit new girls.
In addition to looking at personals or ads for escorts or companions, also look at employment ads targeted towards young women.
Take notes of patterns you see, including photos of younger-looking girls in front of similar backdrops, or similar descriptions accompanying different images.
If you see posts that you suspect were created by sex traffickers, or that include pictures of unwilling participants, flag the posts so the website will remove them.
This activity doesn't necessarily stop sex trafficking, but it does make it more difficult for the sex traffickers to use these free online services to find clients or recruit new girls.
Don't confuse your activism with policing.
You should never attempt to contact the girls, as you could make their lives more dangerous.
Don't attempt to contact the adults, or to bait or trap them – leave that up to law enforcement officials. , Some sex traffickers have profiles of their own on social media sites such as Facebook, or create pages for their girls to attract clients or other girls.
Take screenshots of the pages if you find them, and report inappropriate content to the website or to other authorities.
If you find an account you believe is related to sex trafficking, don't try to engage the people running the account or the girls advertised.
Simply observe and take screenshots to give to authorities.
Within the U.S., you can call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-73-7888 to report information on potential sex trafficking activity 24 hours a day, seven days a week., In addition to tracking down the online advertisements of sex traffickers, you may consider creating your own website to discuss incidents of sex trafficking in your area.
Be careful about naming names, as you could subject the girls you're trying to help to greater danger, and anyone you name could potentially sue you.
Use your blog or website to write articles explaining sex trafficking facts and statistics in the U.S. and around the world.
Include links to government agencies and non-profits that get girls out of sex trafficking.
If you create crafts or works of art, use your creative endeavors to bring attention to sex trafficking in your town by donating a percentage of your sales to a local or national organization that works to reduce and prevent sex trafficking. , Use a particular hashtag to start a challenge or game that raises awareness for sex trafficking in the U.S. and around the world.
If organizations have already begun hashtag campaigns, participate in those activities and encourage all your friends and followers on social media to participate as well.
You also can use social media to amplify your message and educate more people about the problem of sex trafficking in your town. -
Step 3: Track profiles on social media.
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Step 4: Create your own blog or website.
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Step 5: Start or participate in an online awareness campaign.
Detailed Guide
Unlike other commercial sex, which may or may not be legal depending on where you live, sex trafficking induces or recruits young women into commercial sex using force or fraud.Minors under the age of 18 who work in commercial sex are considered to be victims of sex trafficking without regard to whether they entered the industry due to force, fraud, or coercion.Websites such as the Trafficking Resource Center include links to federal and other laws that deal with sex trafficking in the U.S.
You can use this and other similar websites to research the issue and learn how to identify possible sex trafficking operations.
Sex traffickers often use sites such as Backpage and Craigslist that offer free or anonymous personal ads.
These ads may be used to find clients or to recruit new girls.
In addition to looking at personals or ads for escorts or companions, also look at employment ads targeted towards young women.
Take notes of patterns you see, including photos of younger-looking girls in front of similar backdrops, or similar descriptions accompanying different images.
If you see posts that you suspect were created by sex traffickers, or that include pictures of unwilling participants, flag the posts so the website will remove them.
This activity doesn't necessarily stop sex trafficking, but it does make it more difficult for the sex traffickers to use these free online services to find clients or recruit new girls.
Don't confuse your activism with policing.
You should never attempt to contact the girls, as you could make their lives more dangerous.
Don't attempt to contact the adults, or to bait or trap them – leave that up to law enforcement officials. , Some sex traffickers have profiles of their own on social media sites such as Facebook, or create pages for their girls to attract clients or other girls.
Take screenshots of the pages if you find them, and report inappropriate content to the website or to other authorities.
If you find an account you believe is related to sex trafficking, don't try to engage the people running the account or the girls advertised.
Simply observe and take screenshots to give to authorities.
Within the U.S., you can call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-73-7888 to report information on potential sex trafficking activity 24 hours a day, seven days a week., In addition to tracking down the online advertisements of sex traffickers, you may consider creating your own website to discuss incidents of sex trafficking in your area.
Be careful about naming names, as you could subject the girls you're trying to help to greater danger, and anyone you name could potentially sue you.
Use your blog or website to write articles explaining sex trafficking facts and statistics in the U.S. and around the world.
Include links to government agencies and non-profits that get girls out of sex trafficking.
If you create crafts or works of art, use your creative endeavors to bring attention to sex trafficking in your town by donating a percentage of your sales to a local or national organization that works to reduce and prevent sex trafficking. , Use a particular hashtag to start a challenge or game that raises awareness for sex trafficking in the U.S. and around the world.
If organizations have already begun hashtag campaigns, participate in those activities and encourage all your friends and followers on social media to participate as well.
You also can use social media to amplify your message and educate more people about the problem of sex trafficking in your town.
About the Author
Henry Ferguson
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow practical skills tutorials.
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