January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, a vital informational campaign meant to increase the public’s knowledge on a very serious issue in America: the trafficking of men, women and children for the purpose of forced labor or sex work.
Runaway youth are highly susceptible to being coerced by human traffickers for several reasons: lack of stable housing or resources, low self-esteem, lack of stable relationships with adults, and other factors. The organization Ark of Hope for Children reports that “the largest group of at-risk children are runaway, thrown away, or homeless American children who use survival sex to acquire food, shelter, clothing, and other things needed to survive on America’s streets.” Ark of Hope also states that “children are often targeted by traffickers as they are deemed easier to manipulate than adults…”
