Myths of Trafficking

There are some misconceptions about what human trafficking, and what the fight against human trafficking, looks like. We talked to one of our undercover investigators about one of them. There is also the somewhat pervasive idea that perhaps only women and girls are trafficked for sex . And while sex trafficking has gained awareness in the public consciousness, child marriage also makes up a significant portion of those trafficked worldwide.

The UN agency International Office for Migration’s IOMX campaign has a lot of resources to educate people about trafficking and safe migration. We found this video series on the Myths of Trafficking to be particularly helpful in debunking some common misconceptions of what trafficking looks like.

MYTH# 1 Trafficking for sexual exploitation only happens to girls and women

MYTH # 2 Victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation are usually kidnapped

MYTH #3 Victims are usually physically trapped in situations of exploitation.

MYTH #4 If individuals are not being physically forced, then they must be there by choice.