January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month

Although Alternatives to Violence works to promote awareness and prevention of human trafficking throughout the whole year, as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, January is a key time to make additional efforts.

What is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is a criminal act that involves the use of force or fraud to achieve some type of labor or commercial sex act. Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations.

According to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report, nearly 80% of human trafficking is sexual exploitation. The victims of sexual exploitation are predominantly women and girls.

To help prevent, identify or report human trafficking, it’s important to understand some of the signs.

· Apartments or houses with too many people, all picked up or dropped off at the same time

· Bruising or untreated injuries

· No control over personal belongings like mail or phone

· One person speaking on behalf of many others, who may avoid eye contact or conversation

· Anxious and unwilling to tell others about their situation

· Poor health, malnutrition or untreated dental conditions

· Symptoms of psychological trauma including anxiety, confusion, memory loss

· New tattoos (of cherries, roses, dollar signs or crowns)

· Having older significant others

· STIs or STDs

Help make a change

If your workplace, club, church or agency would like to offer training on human trafficking, please contact Amanda at amanda.mitchell@alternativestoviolence.org or (970) 669-5150.

If you or someone you know needs help

Please call ATV at 970-669-5150 or text 970-669-5157. We are here for you.