How People are Trafficked
Many factors can lead to a person being trafficked. Traffickers employ various methods to recruit victims. Individuals might be kidnapped or coerced by someone; they may be trying to escape abuse or poverty; or they could simply be attempting to improve their lives and support their families.
Debt can be used as a means to entrap people. Debt bondage is a serious issue for many vulnerable individuals who are forced to take unimaginable risks to escape from poverty or persecution. They may be compelled to accept precarious job offers and make hazardous migration decisions, often borrowing money from their traffickers in advance.
Upon arrival in their destination country, they may discover that the promised work does not exist, or conditions are drastically different from those they had been assured. They become trapped, reliant on their traffickers, and extremely vulnerable. Their documents are often confiscated, and they are forced to work until their debt is paid off.
Understanding how people are trafficked empowers us to prevent slavery before it starts. Here are some of the most common methods traffickers use.