Cedars, October 2020

Fall 2020 18 By Hannah Deane T he Human Trafficking Hotline defines human trafficking as “a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his or her will.” Over 40.3 million people are trafficked globally every year. Trafficking can take many different forms: child soldiers, labor trafficking, sex trafficking and organ trafficking are just a few. Children are among the most vulnerable to trafficking. Child trafficking is not something that only occurs overseas. It’s tragically common right here in the United States. UNICEF USA says trafficking occurs in every state in the U.S. Over 1,000 children are trafficked each year in the state of Ohio alone, according to a study done by the University of Cincinnati. Gracehaven is an organization based in Columbus, Ohio, that has joined the fight against human trafficking by providing victims with case management and housing. Brooke Pollard, Gravehaven’s community engagement coordinator, remembers being amazed at the extent of trafficking when she first started learning more about this problem. “I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that this was so prevalent, this was so normal,” Pollard said. “There’s so many people preying on our most vulnerable in the world and they don’t have a fighting chance.” Trafficking is a more complex issue than what is often portrayed in the media, according to Marci Gabrielse, the International Justice Mission (IJM) chapter president atCedarvilleUniversity. Trafficking is not always a dramatic kidnapping with an obvious villain. “We all think of the white van with ice cream or candy,” Gabrielse said. “That does happen, but there are a lot of other forms that are much more common that we don’t necessarily think of right away.” According to Pollard, trafficking is more of a slow, methodical process in which the trafficker manipulates the victim. Trafficker will usually target their victims and begin to try and coerce the girl or boy in a process known as grooming. This is meant to isolate the victim from his or her friends and family, Pollard said. “He is doing things for them,” Pollard said. “Buying them things, getting their hair and nails done, giving them enough money to get by, making them feel like they’re grown up or independent or making these choices on their own.” This process may be appealing at first, as the trafficker continues to sow more seeds of manipulation in the child’s mind. The trafficker will start to tell their target that their family doesn’t love them, but they, the trafficker, do. Eventually this manipulation progresses into frightening the child so that they will be too scared to tell anyone what has happened. “There’s a lot of coercion and the threat of force,” Pollard said. “Like, ‘If you don’t do this then I will go after your little sister.’ Or ‘If you don’t do this, I am going to shoot your dog in its head.’” The trafficker is skilled at setting this trap. They know how much and what kind of bait to use. Once that child has entered the trap, it is difficult for them to get out. The trafficker will even use drugs to further control those that he or she is working to traffic, according to Pollard. “At first drugs are recreational, then later on they become habitual and addictive,” Pollard said. “It’s very much a long and slow FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T SPEAK Child trafficking advocates raise awareness on behalf of the helpless “I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that this was so prevalent, this was so normal. There’s so many people preying on our most vulnerable in the world and they don’t have a fighting chance.” Brooke Pollard, Gracehaven Youth for Christ