The Sojourners Among Us

Identifying victims of trafficking in your own back yard

In his informative and eye-opening book, Not for Sale, David Batstone explains that there are well over 100,000 people currently living enslaved in the United States of America. Many of these slaves live in our own backyards. Riverside County and Los Angeles County are two hot-spots for victims of human trafficking to be found. There are a couple of ways that you can help in rescuing these enslaved peoples and bringing justice to the perpetrators. First, keep your eyes open to the lives of your neighbors. If you ever see a teenager or a child that seems to be cooped up in the house and not allowed to go out much or go to school, there is a chance that this person is being held as a domestic slave. Second, keep an eye on your local massage parlors. Many times, young women and small girls are kept in these parlors to work as prostitutes. Look for parlors with entrances in the back or in poorly lit areas. Also, look for a consistent visit of men, especially men that seem to be middle to upper class. If you ever suspect that a person is being enslaved, don’t hesitate to call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center and report it. The NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline for the human trafficking field in the U.S. and is reached by calling 1-888-3737-888. For many more helpful tips on how to identify an enslaved person, click here. Make it a habit of being observant and aware of the happenings of your local community and/or city.