Human trafficking
First, let’s talk about human trafficking. “Human trafficking” or “trafficking in persons” has been defined in several ways. Some of these definitions are so broad that they include all people who exchange sexual services or all people who engage in non-independent sex work. Some human trafficking statistics also include all children reported missing, even they had, for example, simply gone to a friend’s house without notifying their parents. For this reason, one often encounters extremely alarming human trafficking figures.
These high figures reflect a mix of realities and can lead us to believe that, for example, migrant women who engage in sex work are all victims of human trafficking. This is a common misconception that has serious consequences for these sex workers: being treated as victims, experiencing police surveillance and brutality, and even facing deportation. While, it is true that these people often have debts and few options for employment, these problems are linked to structural factors: immigration laws, racism and global wealth disparities.
The widespread moral panic about human trafficking unfortunately leads us to ignore the psychological, physical, economic and sexual violence that can creep into interpersonal relationships in insidious ways. Situations of false imprisonment and exploitation exist, but most of the violence occurs at the hands of people known to the victims, in a dynamic of escalating violence.
More often than not, it is this gradual escalation that can lead to situations of extreme violence. For this reason, it is more useful to try to recognize the signs of violence than to try to prevent teenagers from being abducted by strangers and forced to sell sexual services.
How can we recognize violence ?
With all of this said, how can you tell if a teenager is a victim of violence? Some signs can manifest as changes in behaviour, for example:
- Becomes increasingly isolated from family and friends;
- Repeatedly runs away from home;
- Becomes secretive about who they are seeing;
- Shows signs of an eating disorder;
- Mentions debts, or constantly needs money;
- Shows signs of hypervigilance;
- Informs someone of their every move and activities, is constantly under surveillance.
These signs do not actually tell us about the source of the violence! It could be coming from parents, a partner, school peers, and even from social workers and teachers. Some of these behaviours are also the result of systemic violence. The most important thing is to build a trusting relationship with the teenager that will allow them to confide in us. It is also important to equip teens with the tools to recognize violence and to protect themselves from it.
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