January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month
January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. This month is dedicated to raising awareness about different forms of human trafficking, ways to support trafficking survivors, and educating the community about the issue so that people are equipped to notice potential trafficking situations and report them to their local law enforcement.
FACTS TO KNOW:
Sex and human trafficking in the U.S. disproportionately affects foster youth
60% of all child sex trafficking victims have histories in the child welfare system
Children without families to make them feel loved and cared for are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by sex traffickers
Youth in foster care in large cities like Albuquerque are at the most risk of being targeted
Traffickers will sometimes send one of their girls into group homes to lure other girls to leave
Many girls who end up leaving foster care are trafficked into prostitution where they are routinely subject to physical abuse and violence.
There are approximately 5,000 homeless youth in Albuquerque
According to a recent study, at least one-fifth of homeless youth will fall victim to human trafficking
Human trafficking is a largely hidden crime involving one or more people exploiting another person for labor, services, or commercial sex. The trafficker uses force or violence, fraud or false promises, or coercion and manipulation to lure victims and exploit them through physical, financial, or psychological means. There is no profile of a trafficked person – trafficking affects people from all economic classes, racial and ethnic identities, gender identities, and sexual orientations, and both adults and children can be trafficked. However, human trafficking disproportionately impacts Native American, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
When anything of value is exchanged for sex with a person under 18, it constitutes commercial sexual abuse of a minor.
The Office of the New Mexico Attorney General Human Trafficking Task Force is a federally funded collaborative taskforce consisting of local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies, prosecutorial agencies, and service providers from around the state. The sole purpose of the New Mexico Human Trafficking Task Force is to implement a collaborative approach to combating all forms of human trafficking within New Mexico- sex trafficking and labor trafficking- of foreign nationals and U.S. citizens (of all sexes and ages). This multi-disciplinary task force focuses on a victim-centered approach to identify victims of all types of human trafficking, address the individualized needs of victims through quality services, and investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels.
On behalf of these young people and individuals worldwide, we encourage you to educate yourself and increase awareness of exploitation and trafficking in your communities and improve systems that provide services for youth at risk. Here are a few resources to help you get started:
Additionally, Tuesday, Jan. 11, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Join community members across the nation to raise awareness and show support by wearing the color blue on this day – the color for human trafficking prevention. You can also spread awareness on social media by posting a photo of you wearing blue or sharing resources. Be sure to use the hashtags #wearblueday & #endhumantrafficking.
Through National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we must each recommit to do our part to prevent human trafficking through education and awareness and protect survivors through safe response.