There are many questions that surround the topic of trafficking.

Is it really happening in the United States?

Can it actually happen in our town?

The reality is that trafficking has evolved from what we once thought it to cinematically be.

The phone is the new white van. There is a very long dedicated and well-planned process that goes into the world of trafficking.

Luring

Grooming

Isolation

Manipulation 

Coercion

Into Exploitation

Today the most common approach is to find a young person online, who shares too much personal information and creates a false sense of connection. There are many times the grooming process can go for months even years before they convince a young individual to run away. They often persuade them in the Romeo philosophy to run away with a long-lost love only to realize the shift comes quickly.

The process of grooming includes gifting, love bombing and behavior manipulation. You can find that these young people connect through false coercion and then slowly are isolated away from food and resources for survival.

Those most at risk include pretty much anyone who is longing for community or a common behavior. These include attention, sensory, escape, counter-control or access. Often times most at-risk will include individuals living in fatherless homes, single-parent homes, special needs, CPS children, foster children, etc.

Adverse childhood trauma can be a precursor to being at risk. Often an individual who has experienced trauma wears physical attributes noticeable to predators. These could be lack of eye contact, shrugged shoulders, pulling at sleeves over wrists and so forth. 

Identifying trafficking can include a sudden behavior change, a possessive "boyfriend" that carries an individual's personal items, sudden isolation or withdrawal. Behaviors are not congruent with socioeconomic levels. This could include a low-income individual suddenly carrying a Louis Vuitton or a stack of cash. Look for branding or tattoos that contain numbers. These numbers could identify pimp rules.

In the video training, I go over terminology and further identifiers to look for. 

This a great first introduction to trafficking as a whole. For further details please request any specific content at madetowalk.org