One of the biggest misconceptions about human trafficking is how it occurs. The first thing that usually comes into a person’s mind when they hear those words is a little girl getting snatched off the street by a stranger, smuggled to a far off place, and sold to the highest bidder in a back-alley transaction. While this certainly happens at times, it is far from the most common way human trafficking manifests. The truth is human trafficking is a very psychological and a very emotional crime.

Most survivors were actually trafficked by someone they knew, someone they thought they could trust. Sometimes that looks like someone saying “I’ll take care of you, I’ll love you when nobody else does,” followed by actions that are anything but loving. Sometimes, it sounds like “If you come to this country, I will get you a better-paying job,” only for the victim to arrive and find the only job available includes long hours, no pay, and abuse.

In other words, traffickers do not typically pounce on their victims and immediately “sell” them. It is a slippery slope that begins with things like “you can trust me,” and ends with abuse. Sometimes, people don’t even realize they are being trafficked until someone suggests that possibility to them. This is important to understand because it affects how and when someone leaves their situation and what kind of emotional turmoil they might experience afterwards.