3 Key Takeaways from the 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report
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This month, the US Department of State released its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, one of the most comprehensive and reliable resources on human trafficking. The TIP Report is a great place to look to understand labor and sex trafficking and how the United States is combating it globally.
This year’s report includes important topics such as trafficking amidst a pandemic, the complexities of familial trafficking, the negative impacts of trafficking misinformation, and much more. Read the full report and check out our 3 key takeaways below.
3 Key Takeaways from the 2021 TIP Report
1) Trafficking and the COVID-19 Pandemic
“Pandemic mitigation efforts forced many people to shift online, including human traffickers. Online recruitment and grooming increased as children spent more time online for virtual learning due to school closures… [I]t should be noted that a portion of the increase resulted from the recirculation of sensationalized trafficking-related stories and misinformation on social media platforms... With enough time for traffickers to establish effective methods to recruit and groom their victims and insufficient avenues to prosecute various forms of online sexual exploitation, the pandemic accelerated and accrued the challenges to combating online sex trafficking.”
2) Familial Trafficking
“[Familial trafficking] is difficult to identify because it takes place within family networks and victimizes children, many of whom are under 12 years of age, who may not realize they are victims… In these cases, the trafficker may begin grooming the victim at an early age, using their close proximity to take advantage of the child’s developmental stage and inability to verbally express concerns or safety issues. One study estimates that the trafficker is a family member in about 31 percent of child sex trafficking cases. In these cases, the child’s inherent loyalty to and reliance on the family structure make familial trafficking difficult to identify and challenging to prosecute.”
3) Trafficking Misinformation
“For many people, human trafficking evokes images of women and children being forcibly taken and sold into sexual slavery by strangers, or of people locked in rooms or vehicles far from home. These images, however, do not capture the reality of most cases of sex and labor trafficking. Human trafficking is typically not so simple or salacious. Most victims are not kidnapped by strangers or secretive syndicates. Instead, it is often their neighbors, relatives, romantic partners, or other acquaintances who exploit them. Traffickers often use fraudulent, psychologically manipulative, or coercive recruitment methods so they need not kidnap or even physically restrain their victims… Individuals who wish to learn more about what human trafficking looks like in their own communities should seek out resources from established organizations and government agencies that use evidence-based solutions to address the crime.”
Human trafficking is an under-reported, underground crime. Information on the subject is ever-changing, hard to obtain and often just a snapshot in time, or particular to a specific region. Always check your sources before sharing information. For some of the best currently available statistics on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, see our DMST Statistics page.