I am currently taking classes through my state to become a Certified Peer Support Specialist and one of the courses required focuses on human trafficking.

There are 2 main types of trafficking; forced labor and sex. Organ removal trafficking isn't as reported and understood yet, but there is .2% detected.

The tactics used by predators are through force, fraud, or coercion by targeting individuals in vulnerable situations such as conflict, natural disasters, poverty, challenging home lives, or systematic oppression with false promises of education, employment, housing, or will even pursue a romantic relationship with victim to lure them into labor and/or sex trafficking.

They go "hunting" to look for people susceptible to furthering their scheme, or they'll go "fishing" attracting potential victims by posting online and waiting for a response.

According to The Bureau of Justice Statistics performed by U.S. Department of Justice, there were 1070 defendants charged with human trafficking in 2022, only 9% were woman and 91% male.

58% of those convictions were white, 20% black, and 18% Hispanic. Furthermore, 95% were U.S. citizens, and 71% had no prior convictions. The median age of the victims is 34 years of age.

The majority of forced labor takes place in the private economy, meaning it is connected to global supply chains.

In the United States, immigrants, especially women, are the largest portion of trafficking victims, so in 2000 Congress created Visas to encourage these victims of crime to come forward. These Visas gave victims protection based on their cooperation with U.S. law enforcement. There is the U Visa for victims of domestic violence, and other serious crimes, the T Visa is for victims of human trafficking, and this also includes the Battered Immigrant Women's Protection Act.

In January, ICE rescinded, via executive order, all of these protection Visas that were already issued to victims. Conservatives say that victimization alone should not allow those in the country illegally (whether by choice or not) to stay and Project 2025 proposes doing away with the visa program entirely.

So, not only did they endure the trauma of the experience itself, but now they are being traumatized by the current deportation efforts of this administration. These new policies are having a chilling effect on crime reporting.

Why are we constantly protecting the perpetrator when it comes to sex crimes and women and children?

When will we start to understand as a human race that a patriarchal system isn't working well?

When are we, as a human race, going to show empathy and compassion for people in these situations and make some serious change?

I think it's extremely ironic how a country that was founded on immigration by immigrants, is now pulling up the immigration ladder and saying "No one else allowed".......