BALTIMORE — Human trafficking is a scary occurrence that involves trading a person for forced labor, sexual slavery and exploitation and anyone can be a victim.
When we think of human trafficking, we tend to think it's something that happens on the other side of the world, in other countries but in reality, it happens in our own backyard.
January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and the Baltimore City Human Trafficking Collaborative is working to make people more aware.
"So the Baltimore City Human Trafficking Collaborative has over a 100 members, we all play various parts in a multi-facetted support network,” said Kimberly Sauer, Chair of Baltimore City Human Trafficking Collaborative.
Within the past year, the human trafficking hotline received hundreds of signals from victims and survivors in the state of Maryland. With many of those signals coming from right here in Baltimore.
The trafficking occurs in many different forms.
"There's familiar trafficking, which is the trafficking of family members, often times it's youth. There are benefits trafficking with the elderly. There are other types of sex trafficking both child and adult trafficking,” said Sauer.
It can often be difficult to detect, but awareness and knowing the signs are key in helping victims.
Sauer says "some red flags are someone controlling the conversation or you encounter someone who is holding another person's personal documents like ID, passport. A lot of times with youth they'll have multiple cell phones.”
If you see something, say something. Sauer says there are many different ways of reporting human trafficking if you are suspicious.
From calling the hotline 1-888-373-7888, texting "Be Free", or live chat on the internet at humantraffickinghotline.org.
While the whole month of January is focused on human trafficking, the Baltimore Human Trafficking Collaborative is bringing an awareness day to the city on January 11, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Unity Hall.
To find the registration link or more resources on Baltimore City Human Trafficking, click one of these links:
