{"id":671,"date":"2018-01-22T11:48:53","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T16:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandc.com\/?p=671"},"modified":"2018-01-22T11:48:53","modified_gmt":"2018-01-22T16:48:53","slug":"what-you-can-do-to-fight-sex-trafficking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dandc.com\/?p=671","title":{"rendered":"What You Can Do to Fight Sex Trafficking"},"content":{"rendered":"

via www.frcblog.com – Latest entries<\/a> January 9, 2018 at 11:34AM<\/p>\n

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January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month<\/a>. There are an estimated 20 to 30 million human trafficking victims in the world today, with an estimated 4.5 million of those forcibly involved in sex trafficking. In the U.S., an estimated 640,000 are being trafficked for sex.<\/p>\n

These numbers are profoundly disturbing, and it can be tempting to feel discouraged that ordinary citizens like us are powerless to help these victims and to help stop the demand for paid sex. In reality, there are a number of ways that all of us can help in the fight. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation<\/a> and Fight the New Drug<\/a> have both published a list of practical ways we can all join the cause. Here is a brief summary of what you can do:<\/p>\n

1. Do Not View or Pay for Porn<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we have written about previously, porn and sex trafficking are inseparably linked<\/a>. Each click of pornography creates a demand for more pornography and brings in a profit to the industry. The demand causes traffickers, pimps, and those involved in the sex industry to abuse their victims by filming them in sex acts.<\/p>\n

2. Learn How to Identify Potential Victims and Report Suspicious Activity<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you think you see suspicious activity happening wherever you are, be sure you have learned about what to look for. The Department of Homeland Security has published Indicators of Human Trafficking<\/a>\u2014be sure to look for these warning signs particularly in airports, gas stations, rest stops, and hotels. If you think you see something suspicious, call local law enforcement, or you can contact the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Hotline<\/a> at 888-373-7888<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

3. Use a New App to Take Pictures of Your Hotel Room<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hotel rooms are a hotspot for sex trafficking. Victims are often advertised online through pictures taken of them in hotel rooms. As Fight the New Drug has written on, there is a new app called TraffickCam<\/a> that catalogues details of different hotel rooms like wallpaper and furniture to help create a database of identifiers, which can then be used by TraffickCam\u2019s algorithm to match images of sex trafficking victims that will help law enforcement identify the possible locations of victims.<\/p>\n

4. Participate in Online Activism<\/strong><\/p>\n

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCSE) has organized a number of ways that you can participate in online activism. Here are two:<\/p>\n