Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking
What’s the link?
If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you would know that human trafficking is an issue that is close to home for San Diego. Human trafficking is happening right here, right now, in San Diego county, and San Diego residents are buying and selling other San Diego residents. Though film and television often portray human trafficking as a violent crime happening in other countries, you are probably walking among survivors of trafficking every day.
Many survivors will tell you that they were not trafficked by strangers whom they didn’t know, but rather they were trafficked by relatives or romantic partners. And while we may like to think of trafficking and domestic violence as completely separate issues, there are many cases of trafficking arising from domestic violence situations.
“I had to quit my job to move in with my boyfriend because he lived outside of my hometown,” shares one survivor, “but we needed money. He suggested that I try to go into escorting to supplement our income. At the time, it made sense and did not seem like a big deal. But after a while, it felt like all I was doing was going from hotel to hotel, and my boyfriend turned into a full-blown pimp. He became violent and I was scared, but I was so ashamed of what I was doing that it took me a long time to seek help.”
Because there is such a stigma surrounding trafficking, many survivors do not identify themselves as survivors, and they miss out on specialized healing that they truly need. To add insult to injury, many Domestic Violence shelters cannot accept trafficking survivors, even if they were victims of domestic violence within their trafficking relationship. With only a handful of shelter beds available to trafficking survivors in San Diego County, these women are often forced to stay in trafficking situations much longer than it is safe for them to do so.
As a community, we can help by speaking up. When we hear our friends or loved ones tell us something about their relationship that doesn’t sound right, chances are that something is not right. Red flags we should watch out for are: a) If they tell us that their partner convinced them to do anything they don’t want to do, b) If they mention escorting to supplement their income, or c) if they mention that their partner has convinced them to start webcam modeling. Often that behavior, even if it seems as harmless as webcamming, escalates into more dangerous behavior down the road. But, please remember that it is not safe to rescue survivors of trafficking on your own. However, as their loved one, you can guide them to safety with your words and understanding.
If you, yourself, find that you are in a situation that you are not comfortable in with your romantic partner, and you are afraid that this may escalate into sexual exploitation, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888. There you will be directed to services tailored to your need, and hopefully can be referred to our program.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about this complex issue. Supporting our organization means that you are supporting long-lasting healing for survivors of trafficking here in your town of San Diego County.
