#w*lter white is a human trafficker. point blank

[toprayarc]

AN EDUCATIONAL POST / REFERENCE ON TRAFFICKING. CONTENT WARNINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS: MENTIONS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING, SEX TRAFFICKING, LABOR TRAFFICKING, MANIPULATION, COERCION, AND ABUSE. DESCRIPTIONS AND ANY VIVID IMAGERY ARE INTENTIONALLY ABSENT, AS TO BE AS WIDELY ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE. REBLOGS WELCOME. FROM, YOUR LOCAL SURVIVOR.

WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING? human trafficking involves the use of manipulation, coercion, violence, false pretenses, or some sort of pressure on the victim to obtain a form of labor or act. it does not need to involve moving an individual to one place to another to qualify as such, but it can! it's very situational dependent. most human trafficking victims do not have the educational knowledge to identify themselves as such, and are primarily those who have been in vulnerable circumstances that were horribly taken advantage of.

¹ MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING (A NON-EXHAUSTIVE LIST) — human trafficking only exists in other countries, human trafficking is specifically the act of physically moving an individual from one place to another, human trafficking is only sex trafficking, human smuggling and human trafficking are the same, human trafficking victims / survivors are / were physically trapped, it's always a violent crime.

WHAT KINDS OF TRAFFICKING ARE THERE?

LABOR TRAFFICKING: this can be involuntary servitude, debt bondage, slavery, or even active captivity. those who are being labor trafficked can be those who are getting paid, or not. most prominently, debt bondage and child labor is what we've heard of as far as labor trafficking goes.

SEX TRAFFICKING: this is any commercial sex act that is involuntary, whether it be through manipulation or coercion, or more violent aspects. a commercial sex act is defined as anything from porn, all the way to sex acts being done in exchange for clothing / housing / drugs / et cetera.

DOMESTIC SERVITUDE: this can be any individual who is forced, manipulated, or coerced into working in a home, sometimes in inescapable circumstances, and sometimes not. maids, nannies, or domestic helpers that are trapped (emotionally, or physically) are included in this.

² TRAFFICKERS COME IN PLENTY OF DIFFERENT FORMS, SIMILAR TO ABUSERS. VICTIMS CAN BE IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR TRAFFICKER, CAN BE RELATED TO THEIR TRAFFICKER, OR EVEN SIMPLY FRIENDS WITH THEM. human trafficking does not discriminate. any act that is coerced, manipulated, or forced in the previously labeled circumstances is considered trafficking.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUMAN SMUGGLING AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING? human trafficking is the exploitation of someone, without their consent, in an act of obtaining a service or some form of currency. human smuggling, conversely, is the movement across borders for a fee. while there is sometimes overlap between human trafficking victims being moved from one place to another, this is not necessary to obtain the label of trafficking.

³ TRAFFICKING AND WORK IS NOT THE SAME. when someone is able, willing, and knowingly taking part in a transaction, manufacturing, or labor, it does not infringe on their human rights — and therefore is considered work. in vast contrast, when a person is unwilling, unaware, or pressured or forced into taking part in a transaction or form of labor, it is considered trafficking.

CONSENT IS OUR BIGGEST DIFFERENTIATOR. to understand what trafficking is as a whole, we must begin to question and understand how willing someone is in their participation. no matter if they believe if they're willing or otherwise, if they are being manipulated, coerced, or given false pretenses in order to obtain this act, it is trafficking. if they are violently or nonviolently forced to obtain or produce some sort of act, it is trafficking. if they are physically forced, or mentally forced to commit or produce an act, it is trafficking. consent, and knowledgeable + enthusiastic consent, at that, is what draws the line.

⁴ ON THE TOPIC OF RESOURCES, resources and education for trafficking is painfully abysmal. however, with that said, if you or someone you know is in a trafficking circumstance or needs help, please reach out to the resources you can find and obtain. the national trafficking hotline can be found at 1-888-373-7888. here is another list of compiled resources, if you need assistance.

SOURCES: https://www.dhs.gov/medialibrary/assets/graphic/52891 + https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking + https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking/myths-facts + https://www.acf.hhs.gov/archive/otip/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-labor-trafficking-english + https://sharedhope.org/the-problem/what-is-sex-trafficking/ + https://stopthetraffik.org/sex-trafficking-vs-sex-work-understanding-difference/ + https://enactafrica.org/research/explainers/human-smuggling-and-human-trafficking-what-is-the-difference-and-why-does-it-matter + https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/page/file/1573266/dl?inline