Hello everyone and welcome back! As we continue to discuss about HT, today we will be focusing on the different forms. To know what HT is, click on my previous article and take a read. No time to waste time, let’s get straight to the topic. There are many forms of HT but today we will be discussing about the most common ones.

According to law enforcement, they broke it down into 3 categories:

1. Sex Trafficking
2. Labor Trafficking
3. Debt Bondage

Let’s Begin.

Sex Trafficking:

As I mention in my previous article, this form of trafficking gets the most recognition. The victim is forced to do sexual activities by coercion or deception. Some victims are drugged, physically, and sexually abused by their trafficker and sometimes killed. They are usually held in inhuman conditions. The victims can be kept in secrecy or seen in plain sight. Here are a few forms:

• Prostitution
• Brothel/pole and lap dancing
• Massage/spa/sauna locations
• Escorting
• Stripping on webcams
• Pornography

and more. I want to take the time here to explain the difference between escorting and prostituting. Prostitutes are commonly found on the streets or in brothels and escorts are mainly found through agencies. According to research, escorts are paid usually to go on dates and accompany the buyer but the escort doesn’t necessarily have to perform sexual acts. They have rules the buyer must abide by but prostitutes are strictly for sex.

Organ Harvesting:

I was surprised when I discovered this was a form of human trafficking. I knew this happened to some but never knew this happened so often. This is when parts of the body is removed and sold through illegal trades (illegal trading commonly takes place through the black market). The victim can be kidnapped and the organs are removed without their consent and sold. Another way is the surgeon and the victim will agree on a price for the organ and once the procedure has been done the the victim will most likely not receive the full payment they had agreed and sadly, no medical check up. This can happen to men, women, and children.

Forced Criminality:

In my opinion I feel like younger men and women have fallen victim to this type of trafficking. This is when someone is forced to carry out an illicit task and bring income. Some victims are usually deceived. They are told that they will receive a certain percentage of what they bring, sadly, the victim will receive less then what was promise or nothing at all. Some victims have quotas to meet. If not met, there life is on the line or can be severely punished. This can be in the form of:

• Theft
• Drug dealing
• Forced begging
• Social Welfare Fraud

and more. I feel that Child Soldiers fall into this category. This is when children as young as 4 and up are used for military activities. They can be used for frontline to kitchen hands. Sometimes they are used to carry out illicit activities. They are usually physically abused and/or sexually abused. This form of trafficking is common in Africa and Asia.

Labor Trafficking:

This is the most unrecognized trafficking. As I mentioned before, many have fallen victim in laborious works. This is when victims are forced to work in inhumane conditions with little to no pay. This can be taken in the form of:

• Mining
• Fishing
• Factory work
• Construction Site
• Hospitality

and more. Debt bondage and domestic servitude falls into this category. Debt bondage is when a victim must work to pay of their debt for little pay. They are also falsely promised to be released once the debt is paid off. Domestic servitude is usually taken place in private homes or commune. Victims are usually threatened by their trafficker that they will be reported to immigration if they do not perform their endless hours of work. They also receive little to no pay. Some are restricted to leave the home and have no communication with others. The common abuse in these 2 types trafficking is physical and/or sexual abuse.

These are just a few of many the forms of human trafficking. For those of you that live in the United State, we too have victims roaming around in plain sight or kept in secrecy. This does not only take place in other countries. This takes place right where you live. Here in the U.S we have 25 different forms of trafficking in these industries. Here are a few:

• Art and Entertainment
• Health Care
• Carnivals
• Commercial Cleaning Services
• Restaurants and Food service
• Travel and Sales Crews
• Residential

and more. I left the link below that go into detail about each one and shares all 25. The common thing in all these forms of trafficking is the abuse these victims receive. Again, If you suspect human trafficking taking place in your neighborhood or know someone that needs help, please leave it to law enforcement and call 911 or the Human Trafficking Hotline to investigate. This phone call can save a life. As Human Trafficking Awareness month continues, we will discuss more on men, women, children, and how we can spot the signs. If you know any other forms of trafficking or have more information about each one I mentioned above please share in the comments belows so we can spread awareness and educate one another about about matter and help when we can. Thank you for reading.

Human Trafficking Hotline: 1(888)373-7888

SMS: 233733 (text “Help” or “Info”)

Links: https://www.interpol.int/Crimes/Human-trafficking/Types-of-human-trafficking , https://polarisproject.org/the-typology-of-modern-slavery/ , https://www.stopthetraffik.org/about-human-trafficking/types-of-exploitation/ , https://everythingsotay.com/2020/01/12/ht/