COVID-19 and Human Trafficking

The coming of COVID 19 has changed so many things about our way of life. In some ways, it has brought forth some incredible innovation. The way people learned to adapt and appreciate what they have was truly something of beauty. In other ways, the pandemic has absolutely wreaked havoc. Instability in relatively every form has become the norm. That instability created all kinds of extra problems, including exacerbating the issue of human trafficking.

Those experiencing economic hardship or homelessness are most vulnerable to trafficking situations. When someone is really desperate for basic needs, they will often say "yes" to riskier things in order to survive. With the pandemic came record high unemployment and eviction rates, leaving more people than ever at risk for trafficking. As our economy has begun to "bounce back," demand for different kinds of production have risen as  well. Higher demand for products drives demand for workers. This gives way to more opportunities for labor trafficking specifically. People are also spending a lot more time online. This is creating a risk of running into traffickers or groomers online.

This is simply an overview of how COVID-19 has affected human trafficking. This issue, as always, carries much more nuance than can be covered in a simple blog post. To find out more, please visit Peace-Work: Data for Good.