Understanding Human Trafficking
What is Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking occurs when labor or services that are obtained through the use of force, fraud, or coercion (see technical definition here). There are a wide variety of ideas and beliefs about human trafficking. While awareness of the issue is rising, so is misinformation. Some people imagine violence, kidnapping, and organized crime; and human trafficking can involve all of those things. It is more common, however, that trafficking is less obvious — especially when it impacts children. In the vast majority of instances of child trafficking, the perpetrator knows the child and has won their trust through grooming (which you can read more about here).
Child Trafficking Numbers
Worldwide there are nearly 50 million people who are impacted by human trafficking on a yearly basis. Of those, 1 in 4 is a child. That’s over 12 million children who are impacted by trafficking yearly, with about 87% of those children being sexually exploited through commercial sex and forced marriage (read more about 2021 human trafficking data here). Human trafficking can be incredibly difficult to detect and often goes unreported, meaning that these figures likely represent only a portion of the human trafficking actually taking place in the world.
Prevention
One of the best and most effective ways to prevent child trafficking is to build and support strong families and communities. Traffickers often exploit the needs of families, like lack of resources or education, to gain access to children (read an example story here). When families are supported with access to resources like stable housing, food supplements, and job training, their vulnerability decreases. Educating parents and caregivers about the common tactics of traffickers is essential to helping them keep their children safe.
Survivor Care
For survivors of child trafficking, Rapha understands the need for intensive, specialized services that we refer to as “Keys to Freedom.” They are:
Safety - Basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing, and security.
Healing - Counseling and medical care, providing healing for wounded hearts and bodies.
Education - Personalized education and vocational training plans.
Social Work - Community social work and the pursuit of justice.
Partnership
Rapha International exists to end the trafficking and sexual abuse of children – one child, one family, and one community at a time. The work we do is not possible without the support of thousands of individuals who come alongside Rapha to bring healing, hope, and freedom for survivors and prevention for the most vulnerable.
