Human Trafficking and Person’s with Disabilities
Submitted by Monica Schultz
There is a side of human trafficking that we have not been paying close attention to, and I think it’s time we talk about it: survivors and victims of human trafficking with predetermined disabilities. In the United States, human sex trafficking is defined as being a sex act traded for anything of value (money, drugs, a safe place to sleep, etc.) by means of coercion, force, or fraud. However, if the person being trafficked is under the age of 18, it simply has to be defined as any sex act in exchange for anything of value. This law has opened the door for so many victims to be recognized, and for the victims to have a plethora of programming available to them. But there’s a hidden caveat, in that victims have to be able to vocalize their trauma in order to be eligible for help after their trauma, and there’s an entire group of victims who may be falling through the cracks.
There’s an entire population in this country that is so extremely vulnerable to exploitation, and one I’ve personally had the opportunity to work alongside. I’ve met a handful of survivors who had disabilities before they were exploited, and every one of them stated that their disabilities are what made them vulnerable to traffickers, and it’s bolstered my deep desire to bring light to this topic.
Written by Liz Kimbel, Survivor Leader Co-founder of Karana Rising