Philanthropy

Staying Vigilant

Human tra cking remains prevalent in Oklahoma, but you can learn the warning signs and work to stop it.

Dragonfly Home in OKC helps human traff icking victim-survivors as they transition back into regular life. Photo by Caitlyn O’Fallon courtesy Dragonfly Home Human tra cking, a dif cult topic to discuss, can feel very removed from the typical Oklahoman’s daily life. But according to local experts, it’s happening all around us – and it’s essential that all Oklahomans understand what human tra cking is, how to protect loved ones and how to work towards ending it.

“Human tra cking is essentially the exploitation of someone’s service,” says Amy Hernandez, human tra cking advocate at DVIS (Domestic Violence Intervention Services) in Tulsa. ere are two distinct types of human tra cking: sex tra cking and labor tra cking. e former involves individuals sold for commercial sex through force, fraud and coercion, or anyone under the age of 18 involved in the commercial sex trade. e latter is anyone forced to work through force, fraud and coercion.

Unfortunately, it’s happening just about everywhere.

“People should learn what human tra cking really looks like. It is not how it is often portrayed in movies and documentaries. It is not generally [a] random kidnapping situation, it’s a more strategic approach on the part of tra ckers,” says Whitney Anderson, cofounder and executive director of the Dragon y Home in Oklahoma City, a nonpro t that helps traf cking victim-survivors transition back into normal life.

According to Hernandez, though kidnapping does happen, tra ckers are often much closer to their victims – even intimate partners, family and friends. It’s crucial that these types of victims are able to recognize that they are being tra cked.

Human tra cking creates a dark reality for its victims, but there are ways to shed light and ght back against this industry. e best thing to do is to prevent it in the rst place by working to keep people safe. Many tra ckers recruit online, so it’s crucial to know who our loved ones are communicating with, both in person and the internet.

“It’s about having a genuine interest in the lives of people who might be targeted,” says Anderson.

You can also report a situation that causes concern, says Hernandez, including when “someone is telling you their experience with their employer and it just doesn’t sit right with you.” at’s the time to report the situation to local law enforcement, as well as local or national hotlines. e key to getting involved in the ght against human tra cking is to nd organizations that are working in this space and get yourself involved. Resources such as time and donations of money and supplies are desperately needed, as many victim-survivors have very little as they work to rebuild their lives. And educating ourselves on the prevalence and true nature of human tra cking is a way to ght back, too.

“I think our tendency as a population is to pretend that [human tra cking] is far away, that it doesn’t a ect us here in Oklahoma, but it absolutely does,” says Anderson. “It a ects people that we know and love every single day.” BONNIE RUCKER

Safety First

If you suspect you may know of a traff icking situation, safety should be your first consideration.

“We advise against becoming involved in an active traff icking situation,” says Anderson. This can put the potential victim in danger as well as the person trying to help.

Hernandez explains: “If you’re in a traff icker’s mind, that person is their income, that person is their property. And traff ickers are dangerous people who are willing to do anything to protect their income and their property.”

The best option is to report the situation to a trafficking hotline. In Oklahoma City, Dragonfly Home provides a hotline at 405-212-3377 and the National Human Traff icking Hotline is 888-3737-888.