LGBTQ YOUTH AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING: SPIN, INJUSTICE AND A LONG WAY TO GO.

Human trafficking is hidden within societal structures that define modern civilized spaces. However, the dark nature of human trafficking can often be lurking just around the corner. To some, this is understood, but due to the nature of human trafficking, our society finds it more convenient to deceive ourselves into thinking human trafficking does not exist. The extent of what the public understands of human trafficking is kept within the confines of television shows, which use storylines that are often ripped from real-life situations. We have used entertainment as a crutch to assume that human trafficking is not happening right in front of our homes and public spaces within our communities. We refuse to confront the ugly truth of human trafficking, which exploits a population we paint as illegitimate members of society who are used for forced labor or prostitution through powerful mechanisms of pressure, intimidation, and deception. We play our part in making this subsect of community vulnerable, as the truth is too ugly to bear within our selfish agendas.

Sex Trafficking of LGBTQ+LGBTQ+

Human trafficking is typically managed and employed by regional and nationwide regimes. These powerful forces can act inhumanely toward an already vulnerable sector of society with negative consequences. Human trafficking among the minority population causes members of our community to be unable to comprehend the exact severity of offenses and the number of individuals involved—; the lost and ignored LGBTQ+ sufferers of human trafficking.Victims of human trafficking are domestically trafficked and often citizens of their homeland who are then manipulated within their own community; however, in rarer cases, individuals are trafficked outside country borders without proper documentation and zero sense of stability due to their controlled and completely foreign circumstances. The elements of Human Trafficking are meticulously designed by their oppressors; within this web of oppression, atrocities against humanity are the norm. This creates significant exploitation of people without consequence for the sake of illegal acts such as forced labor and prostitution. Human trafficking is not an issue that is pre-disposed to one group of people. Those trafficked include youth, middle-aged, racial minorities, and any unique demographics in a community. People who are victimized by human trafficking face a continuous battle to escape their oppression every day. These invisible members of society are easy to manipulate at the will of human traffickers without the attention of a civilization. Those who are of minority sexual orientation or gender identity are therefore more vulnerable to inequality and susceptible human trafficking. Victims of human trafficking encounter extraordinary health challenges, for example, bodily concussions from physical abuse and excruciating emotional abuse. Human traffickers are professionally versed in the art of deception to hide their victims and shield the activities of human trafficking from society as a whole. This keeps their illegal operations running smoothly beneath the surface of society, acquiring victims at their will within their secret world.