As previously discussed, human trafficking is a dangerous aspect of today’s world that is often deceptively undetectable. Tens of thousands of people go missing each year, often in plain sight that go unnoticed due to a variety of circumstances. The varied types of human trafficking and emotional manipulation that takes place as a result is the reason why so much of human trafficking is often untraceable after the crime as been committed. What makes this topic much more dangerous is the current public perception of human trafficking and its victims is extremely biased. In order to increase safety and awareness towards this topic, it is imperative everyone recognizes that everyone can be trafficked and understands the signs of human trafficking unbiasedly.
Often, times, there is a gender and age bias in the public perception of human trafficking that is incredibly harmful towards victims. There is an assumption that men cannot get trafficked or at least are trafficked very rarely. There is also an assumption that young, naive women are the primary age group of human traffickers due to their profitability in sexual exploitation. However, the truth is that anyone can get trafficked. AS previously discussed, human trafficking can include a wide array of subjects involving labor, sexual exploitation, and cult indoctrination. Saying that only one type of person could get trafficked is incredibly harmful because it allows people who do not fit into this age or gender group to relax and assume they can never be trafficked, which is not the case.
Another harmful assumption people often make is that they themselves cannot be trafficked because they are “too smart”. People often think that they will never get trafficked because they never trust strangers and will never fall for any ruse that could get them trafficked. As with the previous argument, it is harmful to think this because it allows a sort of false sense of safety to overpower the idea that getting trafficked is something that only happens to a certain type of person. Additionally, it also undermines victims who have been trafficked because there are millions of people who are currently in positions where they have been trafficked. They were not stupid by any means. People who think this also often forget how many different methods traffickers will employ to catch their victims. It is not just men lurking outside stores in white vans waiting for their victims to come out in the darkness. It could be a family member, a romantic partner, or even a friend. Traffickers even use children to guilt people into helping them in order to kidnap the victims later.
People also often hold a racial bias when it comes to perception of human trafficking. Oftentimes when there is a certain type of bias held towards a group of people, it is assumed that they are less desirable to traffickers due to their public perception. However, this is incredibly false. Marginalized communities (that have been marginalized in the past due to systemic racism) are more likely to be trafficked due to the fact that the support system for those communities is lacking. For example, cases involving white Americans in the modern world are more likely to be taken seriously than cases involving black Americans. Believing that only a certain race can be trafficked not only spreads a false safety blanket over who can get trafficked, but it also encourages traffickers to target communities that people do not believe can get trafficked.
Another bias that people hold is what constitutes as trafficking. This can be especially harmful because sometimes when people are being trafficked, people will not even know because they do not consider it to be trafficking. For example, labor trafficking (where people get blackmailed into working arduous hours for little to no pay) may not be considered trafficking because the victims were never kidnapped. Because they may still be in the same community they once were before, people may not consider that they have been trafficked, prolonging the abuse. People often also do not consider that sex workers can also be trafficked. Often, people think that just because they are in that type of industry, they cannot be sexually exploited. Or, they think if something happens to them, it is their fault. However, the truth is that anyone can be trafficked, and sex workers are at special risk due to the nature of their professions. Additionally, because a lot of people have the perception that one has to be kidnapped to be trafficked, certain victims are put at risk. There are many cases where children are trafficked by their parents, or people by their partners or friends. Often in these cases, they are also manipulated into thinking that they are not actually trafficked. It is imperative in these situations to recognize that traffickers exist in all walks of life and use a variety of methods to ensnare their victims.
To change the public perception of human trafficking, it is important for its media representation to be changed. Media has a large impact on people’s lives and unconsciously may influence biases towards who can be trafficked and how. There should be more awareness to the fact that it is incredibly easy to get trafficked, and people are not realizing how hard it is to get out of it once caught in it. To protect the public, it is important for them to face this uncomfortable truth and stay diligent.