Human trafficking is a severe form of exploitation of another person involving force, fraud, or coercion for labor or sex. It is a crime against a person (Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking). Friday’s presentation from Kara Napolitano, Education and Partnerships Coordinator at LCHT, raised our awareness of this horrific human rights abuse. 

It can impact individuals from a range of diverse backgrounds and identities, targeting those most vulnerable, including:

• Those at risk of or experiencing homelessness
• Individuals struggling with substance dependency
• LGBTQIA+ community members
• Sex Workers
• Minors not residing with legal guardians
• Undocumented individuals
• Asylees and refugees

It happens across Colorado, in both urban and rural areas. It can take place in a variety of settings and sectors, such as food service and hospitality, construction, farming and agriculture, the commercial sex industry, exploitative labor operations involving children, and others. 

There are many myths and misunderstandings about human trafficking. LCHT seeks to educate Coloradoans about the facts and dispel inaccuracies so that we can better respond and address the issue. “It doesn’t look like the movies,” Napolitano noted. 

It’s the construction company that gives its workers – often immigrants who don’t speak the language - housing and food but doesn’t pay them. It’s the hired au pair who sleeps in the basement and is under the employer’s constant control. It’s the drug addicted parent who sells their child to pay for drugs. 

Napolitano said that the majority of traffickers know their victims. Thirty percent are family members, 40% are intimate partners; they are all in positions to exert power over their victims. 

An article in the July 2022 Rotary Magazine noted, “Of the many global issues, human trafficking (or modern slavery, as it is sometimes called) is one of the toughest to combat. It's estimated that more than 40 million people are trafficked across the world. "It's probably the largest human rights travesty existing today," says Karen Walkowski, founder of the Rotary Club of District 5950 Ending Human Trafficking. "Bigger than all the refugees, all the displaced people. It's one of the three largest illegal industries, bringing in about $150 billion in revenue every year.” (Brues, F. 2022).

Developing our understanding of this crime is the first step to taking meaningful action. This video by Ashley Finger, LCHT’s director and founder, shares the foundations of the Laboratory’s work and mission. 

Trafficked victims are fearful to speak up and get help. Their circumstances are full of shame and they fear retribution from their trafficker. They also may not know the potential helper or have the trust necessary to report. They also face significant stigma from the community due to things they have been forced to do. 

Asked what she wanted from her presentation to the Rotary club and her work for LCHT, Napolitano said “we need to care about people perceived as unworthy, so we have to start thinking about this differently. Everyone deserves access to basic human rights.”

What can we do? 

1. Spread the work about human trafficking and push back against myths and misinformation. 

2. Volunteer to work the Colorado Human Trafficking hotline for Colorado 1 – 3 shifts per month (training provided).

   

3. Enroll in the Leadership Development Program; a great option for retired professionals.
4. Join a Rotary Action Group on human trafficking or one of several virtual Rotary Clubs.

Care about these vulnerable people living among us in the shadows; traffickers are counting us not to care. Let’s change that and Unite for Good.