(Woodland, CA) – (January 4, 2022) – January is National Human Trafficking and Slavery Prevention Month. This month, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office wants to raise awareness about this crime to help the community prevent and detect human trafficking and support those who are trafficked.
The International Labor Organization estimates there are 40.3 million people being trafficked in the world. These are people who are forced to work or provide commercial sex against their will. This happens in both legal and illicit businesses. It affects a wide range of people from many backgrounds and different locations. People who are especially targeted and vulnerable are runaway youth, unhoused people, trauma survivors, and immigrants. However, there is no single profile for someone who is trafficked, and it happens everywhere, including smaller counties like Yolo.
Human trafficking can be hard to spot. Most people aren’t kidnapped from their community. Traffickers often manipulate people with dangerous lives or limited support from family and friends and later make it difficult, if not impossible, to leave. People who are trafficked are almost always extremely isolated. They may not know how to or want to leave their situation. Traffickers often keep IDs, passports, or immigration documents to prevent victims from leaving. They also may threaten to hurt the victims or their families if they were to leave. Immigrants who are trafficked may not know their rights and likely have no access to resources. If they do have access, the resources may not be available in their language. Many people are recruited or exposed to sex trafficking at a very young age, especially as preteens and young teenagers, when they have less independence and access to resources. Sex trafficking victims often work for a boyfriend or girlfriend. These relationships often show a lot of the same control and power dynamics that domestic violence relationships have. The person being trafficked may feel they’re giving their partner the money they earn to help them out or to pay them back. Trafficking victims of any type keep little to no money that they earn. They will often have no days off.
These are common red flags, though every situation is different. If you’re worried that you, or someone you know, may be being trafficked, ask yourself or that person if these warning signs sound familiar.
The best way to help someone who’s being trafficked is to provide consistent, caring support. Many people who are trafficked go back to their trafficker repeatedly. It can be hard to see a person you care about in a dangerous situation, but that person needs to know they can trust you to be there for them when they need you.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office encourages anyone who may think they, or someone they know, are being trafficked, to reach out for help, and to ask questions. The National Human Trafficking Hotline can connect people anywhere in the United States to local resources. It doesn’t have to be an emergency, and it doesn’t have to be when someone is ready to leave. They can be reached at (888) 373-7888 or you can text “help” or “info” to 233733. Empower Yolo also has a 24/7 confidential support hotline and emergency shelter for adults and children escaping trafficking and can be reached at (530) 662-1133 and (916) 371-1907. They can also provide ongoing support and connections to food, clothing, counseling, and case management among other services.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office Victim Services department helps human trafficking survivors by advocating for their rights in the criminal justice system, explaining the process, supporting survivors in court, connecting them to needed resources, as well as many other services. Please contact Yolo County District Attorney’s Victim Services with any questions at (530) 666-8187.
