Human Trafficking It Happens Here

By Sara Dillefeld, Director of Human Trafficking Services

According to the United Nations, there are approximately 30 million victims of human trafficking around the world. Most people have a perception that human trafficking only happens in faraway countries or to undocumented people who are brought into the United States, but the reality is that Illinois is listed in the top 10 states with reports of trafficking (Human Trafficking Hotline).

Human trafficking might not be an issue that you think about often, but it is a growing issue that affects our community directly.

Trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit human beings for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sex. There are more people in slavery today than at any other point in history, and trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise of this century.

The Center for Prevention of Abuse is proud to expand our efforts to raise awareness about human trafficking and our work to identify and care for victims in Illinois. The department of Human Trafficking Services at The Center is now available.

The media, which is often simple and dramatized, influences our perception of human trafficking and misconceptions surrounding the issue. Here is an overview of the most common myths and the truth about what is really happening: 

1. Victims of trafficking are always from other countries.
   Human trafficking affects U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, visa holders, and undocumented individuals. More than 200 cases of human trafficking were reported in Illinois in 2016. Victims are often trafficked in the communities they live.

2. Human trafficking only occurs in illegal, underground industries.
   Human trafficking occurs in both illegitimate and legitimate businesses. Any industry is at risk when looking at profitability. Labor trafficking is often found in restaurants, agriculture, manufacturing, carnivals, door-to-door sales, etc. Sex trafficking is often found in residential or commercial brothels, hotels, truck stops, etc.

3. Unless a victim is held against their will, they can easily ask for help.
   Traffickers use many psychological tactics to maintain power over their victims. Traffickers will manipulate, degrade, and instill fear in their victims to keep them enslaved. Shame, humiliation, and fear of arrest or deportation often keep victims silent.

4. Human trafficking doesn’t impact me.
   Victims of trafficking often make the products you eat, wear, and use, and many products are made by exploited youth. Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry. Check out these great resources to find out more information and to see the impact trafficked individuals have on your life: www.productsofslavery.org and www.slaveryfootprint.org.

   To learn more about The Center’s Human Trafficking  Services, contact Sara Dillefeld at 309-691-0551 or sdillefeld@centerforprevention-ofabuse.org. You can also visit centerforpreventionofabuse.org.