"Grooming" : Sex Trade Recruiting

Before delving deeper into the nuances and details of the human trafficking trade, it is important to acknowledge the results which have so far been gathered through our Human Trafficking Awareness Survey embedded into my previous article “The Illegal Industry of Human Trafficking”. The response to this survey has been incredibly positive and we are profoundly grateful for everyone’s participation. As expected, there were certain gaps in awareness of concepts related to human trafficking. But these gaps will allow our team to continue spreading the information that is necessary, to continue building awareness and pushing for action on various levels – primarily recognition of organizations supporting victims, working with the education system as well as urging government action. Based on survey responses and personal experience in the education system, there seems to be a lack in educating youth on the facts and risks related to victimization. In order to create effective informational programs and appropriate curriculum guidelines in schools and educational institutions, the main questions to tackle would be: How can we prevent the youth in our communities from falling into the hands and traps of traffickers? What type of education should be put in place for those at greatest risk of being trafficked? How could educators be educated on dealing with these issues in academic settings – schools, universities, colleges, etc.? What are the various ways the information could be presented, based on age, demographic and any unique community factors? Are there any programs, workshops or events that have already been put in place and what is their effectiveness and reach?

It is not only crucial to spread awareness and communicate the risks of being trafficked among students; educating parents with children of all ages, whether those children are in their elementary years, high school or college, is also a key factor in decreasing the number of youth who are tricked into slavery, kidnapped or recruited off of the street. Expanding the education and programs with regards to trafficking awareness would hopefully help decrease the prevalence of situations in which innocent people become vulnerable and help them better understand how to avoid circumstances of risk and entrapment. Teaching both parents and youth regarding the specific “look-fors” of a pimp’s grooming procedures, how they gain control and how they choose victims is incredibly important. Honest conversations, communication, and discussing smart decision-making are all key components in distancing oneself from dangerous situations. Often the promises of love, security, money and compassion that are made by criminals, whose victims are completely unsuspecting, are merely for the purpose of manipulation. Once the trap has been made with empty promises, it can be nearly impossible to free oneself especially considering victims are very often threatened by physical violence and even death. Trafficking victims experience a life of emotional distress, mental scarring and physical abuse, which is extremely difficult to emerge and heal from, should the victim be fortunate enough to escape.

So how and based on what qualities, if any, are people targeted by traffickers? Is there a method or a process? Are there any specific characteristics a trafficker looks for in a potential victim? There are certain patterns and strategies in the methodology of luring in a casualty and knowing the signs of how this happens is truly critical. Young people generally begin to be targeted for sex trafficking between the ages of 12 and 14. The trafficker will usually be someone close in age, so that a connection or relationship will be easier to establish. Obviously, there are many, many cases of younger children being trafficked as well often through kidnapping or by being sold by their parents for drugs or money, especially in cases of extreme poverty (more on this to come in future articles). The process traffickers use for seducing their victims is called “grooming”. Some traffickers begin online relationships on social media and even dating platforms. They scan posts of potential victims and generally choose those who seem more isolated, shy, frustrated with life and have smaller social circles so that they can be manipulated through being given attention and deceptive emotional support. Many innocent individuals are also lured face-to-face through engaging in, what they are led to believe, romantic relationships. Again, individuals with low self-esteem, broken family relationships, abusive families, those in need of money (basically in vulnerable positions and situations from which they would often rather escape) are targeted as emotional manipulation becomes much easier for the pimp. In the case of a young woman for example, the male pimp will shower her with attention, buy her gifts, tell her he loves her, take her out and the like. The girl or woman will enjoy this, especially if she is not used to this kind of male attention and may also lack attention from friends or family. This is called the “boyfriending” stage and may seem like a completely normal relationship at first. At this time, trust is created and perhaps even dependency; the boyfriend figure may seem like a saviour from troubled times or loneliness. He may seem like a protector and a provider and that is exactly his goal and what he excels at. But who doesn’t want to feel more wanted? It is a perfectly planned trap! The next step is brainwashing the victim to believe that she owes her pimp for his generosity or perhaps him telling her that they (the “couple”) are running out of money or simply need more money. He will tell her that she can make money for them or pay him back by exploiting herself sexually either with his friends or other, random partners. Basically, he is now controlling her using their previously established trust. Often though, the victim is led to believe that she is actually owing him for his troubles and kindness. If she does not consent or causes him “trouble”, she is generally threatened with violence or promptly physically abused. Victims are also often branded, threatened that they will be reported to authorities and/or with out of line repercussions, and continuously brainwashed that this is their new normal. Overall, the fraudulent generosity abruptly stops as the victim is coerced into slavery and ownership at which point their freedom ends and the decline of their physical and mental health begins.

It is important to note that traffickers may also be women, who pose as friends or helpful individuals and may promise their victims work, whether nationally or across borders, but lead them right into the hands of organized criminals and then are paid for the “transaction”. Other venues for trafficking are modeling agencies who work similarly to the previously described scenario. Young, aspiring models may be lured by free photo shoots, the excitement of traveling abroad and living a glamorous lifestyle when they also eventually find themselves in tragic situations possibly in foreign countries with extremely low chances of escaping. Many end up being traded numerous times from one pimp to another, being forced into labour or sexual slavery in multiple cities and countries, year after year.

“What we must collectively realize is that this illegal business and trading and selling of humans is happening everywhere and anyone could be at risk, especially if they put themselves in uncertain situations among groups of people that they do not entirely know.”

The key takeaway is to realize that we can really make an impact if there is a shared involvement and feeling of responsibility and willingness to continue educating all parties involved. Anti-trafficking organizations, support groups, police and legal representatives, school boards and educators should continuously create partnerships and share information as deemed necessary to build safer communities and networks that would aid in deterring the actions of traffickers and pimps. At the same time, these partnerships would help create safer environments for youth as well as, hopefully, an exhaustive foundation for those coming out of a web of abuse and suffering.

If you are or believe you have identified someone in a trafficking situation, you can take action. Call 911 immediately to notify local law enforcement. You may also call the human trafficking hotlines in Canada and the United States by dialling the numbers below. Both hotlines are open 24/7/365 days of the year and provide services in over 200 languages.