January is National Human Trafficking Awareness month. It’s been a decade since I first learned of its existence (more on that story here). During that time, the one aspect of human trafficking many people find most difficult to believe is that it often happens close to home. By that I mean that it happens in local communities all across the United States and that many victims experience trafficking in their own homes, not primarily as a result of kidnapping.

Human trafficking is a $150 billion dollar industry with an estimated 40 million people trapped in its systems (https://www.ijm.org/slavery). From a financial perspective, trafficking humans is preferable to drugs or other commodities because you can traffic a person over and over and over again. It is also easier to hide human trafficking because it happens behind closed doors and victims are often either too afraid to ask for help or not believed when they do. 

The key to understanding human trafficking and to fight it is to realize that trafficking’s root cause is vulnerability. Human traffickers target individuals whom they can exploit, manipulate and control. The easiest people to target then are those who are often overlooked such as refugees, the homeless, individuals with substance use issues or mental health concerns, runaways, or those connected to the foster care system. 

When people learn the truth of human trafficking, their response is often, “What can I do to help?” My answer is always to start small and do what you can. Below are a few simple suggestions to fight human trafficking, and most of them can be done from the comfort of your own home.

Learn the facts

The first place to begin is always to educate yourself on what is true about human trafficking and what is a myth. Though posts suggesting traffickers are looking for victims at your local shopping complex are popular on social media, those posts are meant to be sensational more than truthful. It is better to learn the truth of human trafficking from sites like the Human Trafficking Hotline or A21.

See something, say something

Once you have an understanding of the signs of trafficking, you may begin to see red flags as you go about your daily life. I recommend putting the National Human Trafficking Hotline number in your phone to call anytime you see something suspicious (1-888-373-7888). The best course of action is always “if you see something, say something.”

Become a support person

Though visions of kicking in doors and rescuing people chained to metal bed frames may sell movies, it’s the people serving vulnerable populations who are the true heroes. It may not feel exciting to volunteer at a homeless shelter, become a mentor for an after school program, or parent a foster child. But these are three of many ways you can be a stable support for a vulnerable person which leads to a lesser chance of them falling prey to the wiles of a human trafficker. 

Shop with intention

You can also learn which industries are most likely to use slave labor and alter your purchasing habits to limit the likelihood of using products made by slaves. SlaveryFootprint.org is a great resource for learning more about labor trafficking and what you can do to stop supporting slave labor through your purchasing. End Slavery Now has a free buying guide that is a great tool to use as well as other good information and resources. Dozens of online stores like Made Free and Trades of Hope provide products to support anti-trafficking efforts and even provide income for those who have been freed from a life of slavery. 

Support anti-trafficking efforts

If the idea of kicking down doors still appeals to you, you may consider financially supporting agencies who work with local police forces around the world to free those trapped in slavery like A21 or International Justice Mission. 

Prevent child abuse

Another option I highly recommend is to take the 30 minute training on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children provided by Darkness to Light. If you are a parent, an educator, or in church leadership of any kind, I highly recommend you also take the Stewards of Children Child Sexual Abuse Prevention training. These trainings will teach you how to protect the children in your sphere of influence from sexual abuse, which creates vulnerability for human trafficking. As a certified D2L facilitator myself, I can vouch for the quality of these trainings and the efficacy of preventing the most vulnerable of us all—our children.

Help the one

When I consider the overwhelming problem of human trafficking, I am reminded of the story about the gentlemen throwing starfish back into the ocean after a storm. When a passerby mocked his efforts as barely making a difference in light of the hundreds of creatures littering the shore, the man’s response was to throw another starfish into the sea and say, “It made a difference to that one.”

It may seem that whatever you might be able to do is minuscule in comparison to the global problem, but eternity will reveal the ripple effect your donation, purchase, or phone call made in the life of an individual and their family for generations to come. Maybe you can’t help the millions, but you can help the one—and we all know what God can do with even the smallest of offerings given from a kind and generous heart.