Human Trafficking Fact vs. Fiction

For a little over a year now, we here at Timbelo have been learning all we can about the issue of human trafficking. We want to know the truth behind every misconception, and trust us, there are a lot of them. At the beginning of our journey of advocacy, we debunked some common human trafficking myths. Today, we're going to have a little refresher!

Fiction: Human trafficking only happens in other countries.

Fact: Human trafficking occurs all around the world, including here in the United States.

Fiction: Trafficking victims are most often strangers to their traffickers. They are kidnapped by a person they've never met and forced into slavery.

Fact: It's far more common that survivors know their traffickers. Human trafficking is a very psychological crime in which a dependency upon the trafficker is created. It's hard to do that when you are a complete stranger to someone.

Fiction: Human trafficking only consists of forced sexual services.

Fact: Human trafficking is an umbrella term that covers things like labor trafficking, bonded labor, child marriage, forced prison labor, and more.

Fiction: The everyday person doesn't have anything to offer the work against human trafficking.

Fact: Everyone has something to bring to the table! From crafters to lobbyists, everyone has a role to play in ending this world-wide violation of human rights.