By Josephine Pufpaff, director of program design and strategic planning, YouthLink

For most folks, human trafficking is something that only takes place overseas. It’s a foreign issue that occurs only in countries in southeast Asia, Africa and Europe.

But, the harsh—and sometimes eye-opening—reality is, human trafficking is happening right here in the U.S. every day. As estimated 14,500-17,500 men, women and children are trafficked into the U.S. each year (source: Minnesota Department of Public Safety).

What’s more, human trafficking is going on right in our  communities here in Minnesota. According to reports, more than 1,800 trafficking-related charges were levied against Minnesotans in 2006 and 2007. That’s pretty staggering.

And one population is at substantial risk: homeless youth.

Because of the world they live in, and their unfortunate circumstances, homeless youth are extremely vulnerable and targets of  to human trafficking—particularly sex trafficking.

Since homeless youth frequently have fewer options in terms of basic needs (money, food, and shelter for instance), they may compromise their personal values and use their bodies as commodities. And, they take more risks than they normally would to meet those basic needs.

It seems crazy, I know. But, it can happen much more easily than you might think. For young women, it can go from  having a “thoughtful” boyfriend to being forced to having sex with his friends. Traffickers will use force, fraud or coercion to exploit vulnerable individuals.

For example, YouthLink worked with a young woman a while back who went missing for an extended period of time. After checking in with the woman’s mother, we discovered her “boyfriend” had taken her to Chicago and was being prostituted against her will. The relationship went from boyfriend/girlfriend to pimp/prostitute awfully quickly. That’s how fast—and how easily—it can happen.

Luckily, the young woman found her way back home to Minneapolis and into counseling and therapy through coordination with her family, YouthLink and the Civil Society.

The challenge in identifying victims of human trafficking is quite similar to the challenge of identifying young people experiencing homelessness:

• Lack of understanding of homelessness/human trafficking.
• Hesitation of young people to discuss personal situation and self identity.
• Fear of involvement with law enforcement or social services.
• Isolation and lack of contact with the bigger, outside world.

Now that you’re more aware of the situation, here are a few ways you can help:

Be more observant. Looking for small questions and asking the right questions goes a long way in helping identify potential victims. Is the person you are concerned about always accompanied by someone who appears controlling? Can you see evidence of physical abuse?

Know where to go for help. If you identify someone who may be at risk for human trafficking, refer them to someone who can help as soon as possible. Organizations like YouthLink (612.252.1241) and the Civil Society (651.291.0713) work to educate, counsel and assist youth and parents who are dealing with this horrific crime.

Support organizations that are making a difference. The Minnesota Human Trafficking Coalition, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota or Demi & Ashton Foundation (DNA). All organizations are taking active leadership roles in addressing human trafficking locally–and nationally, in the case of DNA.

For more information about YouthLink and our prevention and intervention efforts within the youth community please contact Josephine Pufpaff at 612.252.1215 or jpufpaff@youthlinkmn.org.