SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Human Trafficking is more prevalent than you think. Every two minutes, a child is trafficked or sexually exploited in the United States. The average age of exploitation is 12 to 15 years old.

For every 10 trafficking victims identified globally, five are adult women and two are girls, meaning 70% are female.

The total number of trafficked individuals is unknown but estimates range from 28 million to 50 million globally.

This crime is often underreported and hard to track as it is the second largest worldwide criminal enterprise.

Sacramento is within the top 10 U.S. cities that are a trafficking hub, primarily due to I-5 that runs between Canada and Mexico, and I-80 which runs from the West Coast to the East Coast and California is a coastal state.

The Impact of Trafficking

Human trafficking can happen to anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation or social class but some people are more vulnerable than others. Vulnerable groups include recent migrants, those with substance use/mental health illnesses, people with limited education and individuals experiencing poverty or homelessness (especially youth).

Another vulnerability is lack of companionship, loneliness or boredom, and youth at home alone. Unsupervised or under-supervised youth because both parents/guardians must work, tend to retreat into social media or online video gaming where traffickers also hunt. Traffickers also prey on these vulnerabilities to create a dependent relationship and make it more difficult for victims to leave. Most frequently, people are trafficked by someone they know and taken by manipulation rather than force. This manipulation and coercion often escalate to physical, emotional and financial abuse. (Source: https://preventht.org/human-trafficking-101.) 

Once immediate safety is established, the United Nations states that “acquiring skills and competencies for sustainable livelihoods” is an intermediate need and crucial part of a successful recovery for trafficked individuals. Soroptimists have decades of experience with providing this intervention through our education awards and other financial support. (Source: https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/prevention-prosection-and-protection-human-trafficking.)

Women and girls who have been trafficked often suffer financially, being forced to rely on their trafficker or forced to turn over their earnings to their trafficker. Even after they escape and are safe, they often face unfair societal stigma that can make finding meaningful employment difficult.

How Soroptimist Can Help

Reducing poverty is a powerful way to lower the risk of trafficking and education is a key pathway to doing just that. Access to formal education can provide women with the tools to prevent trafficking and to command better wages after surviving trafficking. Leading organizations addressing trafficking agree that holistic methods are the best prevention. One of the most impactful preventative methods is to invest in building the agency of women and girls through access to education. Ensuring that women and girls have the opportunity and ability to complete school and earn a livelihood plays a significant role in reducing vulnerability. 

Soroptimist International of Rancho Cordova and Gold River will host a “Human Trafficking & Massage Therapy Industry” awareness workshop on May 31 to learn how to tell the difference between legitimate and illicit massage businesses, what goes on in illicit massage businesses, what you can do and the impact that illicit massage businesses are having on legitimate ones. Visit http://www.soroptimistranchocordova.org for more information and registration announcement.

Soroptimist is an international nonprofit organization that improves the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. The name, Soroptimist, means “best for women” and that’s what the organization strives to achieve. Soroptimists are people at their best, working to help other women be their best. Email [email protected] to receive more information about Soroptimist International of Rancho Cordova and Gold River, how to become a member or how to volunteer with club members. Or visit soroptimistranchocordova.org.