We humans form habits early in life, ways of doing and reacting that are difficult to change. We tend to push away what we find painful, difficult, or disgusting, and we tend to lock on to what we find pleasurable, even if what is pleasurable might cause us harm.
Human trafficking is an issue that many people turn away from, finding it too difficult to grasp, or, at times, too disgusting to think about. And, anyway, “it doesn’t happen here,” is the common refrain.
But when we stop and really look at the issue, listen to the experts and survivors, and begin to get a glimpse into the stereotypes we hold and how they’re blown away by facts, we can break our habitual reaction and realize this is a crime that affects all levels of society, all over the world, and, yes, even in New Hampshire.
Recently, with the support of the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force, a Nashua-based steering committee planned a 2-hour community meeting in October to kick off what is hoped to be an ongoing effort to communicate about and prevent this 21st Century form of slavery in our state’s second largest city.
The meeting room filled up with stakeholders in the issue—people whose work brings them in contact with vulnerable populations. School counselors, medical providers, social workers, and people working at various non-profits, agencies, and departments.
Two hours is not exactly enough time to parse this societal issue, but we made a dent, I think, in bringing the issue front and center for the attendees. We heard from experts and a survivor and we broke into small discussion groups, with notes made to develop a map forward. This event, too, served as a prototype for other efforts that can be made throughout the state.
I’ve been involved in the issue of human trafficking for many years, first as a NH legislator as chair of a commission on the subject and then prime sponsor of the first law that made this crime a felony in our state. Then I participated in the early iterations of today’s task force that came under the auspices of the state’s Attorney General’s office, and I’ve been involved ever since.
I admit it’s a difficult issue to spend time considering, just as child hunger and neglect is. But human trafficking is a crime that doesn’t recognize borders—national or state, city or suburbs or rural areas—nor does it recognize the economic class of its victims. Sex and labor trafficking are among the most profitable “businesses” in the world, buoyed by high demand for paid sex or free or little-cost labor. Based on “force, fraud, or coercion,” this crime steals people’s freedom, not always in the dark, but often in plain sight where you and I don’t recognize what we’re seeing. And sometimes, we probably avert our eyes, offering easy labels, like “prostitute,” that match our stereotypes. We turn away because it’s so unpleasant.
It’s time to change our habit of looking away, of thinking it doesn’t happen here. It does, and we need to stare it down by learning more and joining efforts to “stop the traffic.”
To learn about ways you can get involved, stay tuned to our blog, check out the Facebook page or review our Resources Page (to learn more about organizations doing this work).
-Suzanne Harvey, Task Force Member