Human Trafficking Prevention Coalition

Human Trafficking is Modern Day Slavery

“Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons, is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts. The coercion can be subtle or overt physical or psychological. Exploitation of a minor for commercial sex is human trafficking, regardless of whether any form of force, fraud, or coercion was used.” – US Department of Justice

Human trafficking includes:

Action: The action which may be the recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, patronizing, soliciting, advertising, or obtaining of an individual

Means: Through means of force, fraud, or coercion. Force may involve physical or sexual abuse, confinement, sleep or food deprivation, or the use of substances. Fraud includes false promises of work or living conditions, withholding promised wages, or contract fraud. Coercion involves threats of harm to self or others, debt bondage, psychological manipulation, or document confiscation. *a means is not necessary for children under the age of 18 exploited for commercial sex.

Purpose: For a specific purpose, either of compelled labor, services, or commercial sex act(s).

People who are most vulnerable to human trafficking include:

• Unhoused youth
• Refugees or migrant workers

• Those with substance abuse disorders
• Survivors of other forms of past violence
• Members of minority populations based on sexual or gender identity

Organizations currently represented in the coalition include:

• Department of Health and Human Services

• First Presbyterian Church

• Healing Private Wounds

• Life Resources

• Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force

• Strong Tower Radio

• Wexford-Missaukee Child Protection Council

• Zion Lutheran Church

• Catholic Human Services

• Community Members