Speak

Trafficking Happens In All The Places We Assume It Doesn’t

ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

I’ve written before about the fact that we all know people with mental health issues and who’ve survived childhood abuse. So when I caught this headline, I couldn’t resist clicking through to see if this was something I wanted to share:

Do you know someone who has been trafficked? Because you just met me.

Kathleen makes a similar point about trafficking:

So, what is the point of me telling you all this? To show you that human trafficking is happening everyday, in our state, city, neighborhoods and yes, even homes. It happened to me in the 70’s, it happened before then, and it still continues today. There is nothing new about the buying and selling of people, but if we keep the problem in a far away place then it has no reach into our own lives and in our minds, those around us will also stay safe. As the awareness of this insidious crime is more known, and knowledge of the ways and means traffickers pursue, groom and exploit their victims, is when real change can happen. If someone views trafficking as something that only happens in other countries, states, counties, or neighborhoods to people they will never meet, they may miss it when it is right in front of their face.

Kathleen’s point is an important one. We aren’t going to see change when so many people see trafficking, abuse, etc., as something that happens to “those other people.” We need to continue telling our stories so that we remind people that trafficking isn’t something that happens only with immigrants or poor people. It’s the same thing with abuse, sexual assault, mental health. It happens everywhere, and if you don’t know anyone who was trafficked or survived sexual abuse or assault, it’s probably because you don’t seem like a safe person to talk to about it.

Although, if you’re reading this, you just got introduced to someone who was trafficked, Kathleen, by someone who survived sexual abuse and mental health issues, me. So now you do. And you’d probably never realize it if you just met us. Now, think about how many you meet in your life. You have no idea how many of them are survivors, but if the statistics are even close to accurate, you know a lot of us.

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