Human Trafficking
Liberty University
Class #500
8/12/2022
Abstract
People hear about human trafficking on the news; they’ll read an article in the newspaper about
an incident that happen somewhere or see an organizational ad promoting the end to human
trafficking and think to themselves, oh, that does not happen here in this town or in the
community I live. But the truth is, human trafficking is happening worldwide and in the United
States and can be a part of the community you live in without anyone recognizing it. In the
following paper, this writer will discuss what human trafficking is, its background, law
enforcement training on human trafficking, and solutions to better the education of law
enforcement on human trafficking. The writer will also give a Biblical worldview on how this
can help in training future law enforcement officers and how the proposed solution to the
mission of Liberty University is teaching the future leadership in the criminal justice field.
Human Trafficking
Over the decades, many new medical advances and technologies have swept the world
and changed jobs, economies, and the world as it was once known. The abolishment of slavery
is not one of the many significant changes that have swept the world. Human trafficking is still
very present globally and in every state in the United States. Federal laws and policies have been
implemented to combat human traffickers and punish them for their illegal acts against human
beings. The problem with the efforts is that when it comes to investigating the matter of human
trafficking, law enforcement has not been educated on the topic and does not know what to do or
warning signs to look for in human trafficking victims. States must have mandatory initial and
ongoing training for law enforcement officials on human trafficking. A trained officer knowing
the warning signs and how to help a victim can save a victim’s life. Officers’ lack of training on
human trafficking could potentially kill a victim
Human Trafficking: Definition/Background
Some say forms of human trafficking can be dated back to the Bible when Hebrews were
forced into slavery in Egypt (King James Version, 2017). When others refer to slavery, many
think of the Egyptians enslaving their people to build the pyramids or of slavery in the United
States, where white landowners bought men and women and forced them to work their land and
in their homes. There is no confirmed start date when human trafficking first made its way into
the world and across the globe. However, since it appeared, human trafficking has stayed
prevalent in civilizations through the decades and is still seen worldwide today. Human
trafficking is considered to be a form of modern-day slavery, forced labor, or sex labor that
affects twelve to thirty million people worldwide, with five million of those affected being
children (Byrne et al., 2019).
The Department of Homeland Security states that human trafficking is using force, fraud,
or coercion to obtain commercial sex or forced labor by traffickers (Blue Campaign, 2018). The
Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) goes more in-depth and defines human trafficking as
" recruiting, the harboring, the transporting, provision or the obtaining of an individual to be used
for labor or services, through the means of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection
to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, slavery or forced commercial sex acts."
(Connell et al., 2018). The United States recognizes two primary forms, forced labor and sex
trafficking, according to the United States Department of State (Understanding Human
Trafficking, 2022). It is estimated that anywhere from 14,500 to 17,500 victims are trafficked
into the United States yearly (What Is Human Trafficking, 2017). The human violation rights that
we bestowed upon someone due to being trafficked is a global issue that needs to be fought by
law enforcement officials and public health and legal policies (Moukaddam et al., 2021).
Human Trafficking: Law Enforcement
Human trafficking has been reported in all fifty United States at some point, making law
enforcement officers critical figures in the fight against human trafficking (Mapp et al., 2016).
The problem with officers being essential figures in most encounters with victims is that many
officers have had little to no training on how to properly deal with victims of human trafficking
(Mapp et al., 2016). Most states do not have mandatory training for officers on human
trafficking or how to deal with victims of human trafficking, according to the 2021 reports cards
on Child and Youth Sex Trafficking (Child & Youth Sex Trafficking POLICY GOAL 6.3, 2022).
Even though police training has increased over the years, many officers are not meeting the
needs of victims because knowledge is still lacking on the matter (Farrell et al., 2019).
One of the main aspects of training law enforcement is failing is knowing how to correctly
identify victims of human trafficking (Barrick et al., 2021). Victims fall through the cracks when
law enforcement officers are called to certain scenes because they cannot recognize the warning
signs of a trafficking situation or what to do when they come upon a scene with victims. When
states do not require training for officers in this area, it leaves it up to the jurisdiction or
department to decide how to handle situations and often leaves victims in no better situations
than when law enforcement first arrived.
Law enforcement is not only there to help victims, but one of their roles as community
servants is keeping the community aware of different situations in the area. When law
enforcement is not adequately trained on what human trafficking is or how to identify signs of
human trafficking correctly, they cannot educate their communities or the residents that live in
those communities on what to look for and how to go about if a situation arises. There is no
surprise the public does not know what to look for or misunderstands human trafficking because
many nongovernmental agencies report data that contradicts other information that is currently
out there (Bonilla & Mo, 2019).
Solutions
Human trafficking is a global pandemic that needs to be stopped. The United States can
start by making it mandatory for all 50 states to require all law enforcement officers to be trained
on human trafficking. According to Dandurand (2017), law enforcement officers lack the proper
training and awareness to investigate the crimes of human trafficking. Therefore, states need
mandatory initial training on human training and follow-up training. The training should consist
of multiple stages.
One training is not enough:
1. Law enforcement needs to be trained on the background and history of human trafficking.
It is essential to know where this crime derives from so society can move forward to fight
against it.
2. Training on the signs and factors to look for when investigating possible trafficking
claims is crucial to know what trafficking is and how to handle it. Law enforcement
officers need to know how to handle victims and what resources and care victims need
to address their needs appropriately.
3. Officer training should have ongoing training.
Officers need refreshers on laws and updates when things change in human trafficking. Doing
this keeps officers updated and current on vital information that could save the lives of
trafficking victims.
Another solution to help with human trafficking is training the community members that
law enforcement serves. Having the community know the warning signs of human trafficking
and what to look for can be vital in helping law enforcement understand that a situation in their
jurisdictions needs to be investigated. Education on the topic of human trafficking will help
better law enforcement officers and everyone in the community to help keep them safe and save
other victims.
Conclusion and Christian Worldview
“Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair because you know that you
also have a Master in heaven” (King James Version, 2017, Colossians4:1). There is nothing fair
about what a trafficker does to their victims when they force them to do sexual acts or force
labor upon them unwillingly. As Christians, we know that we have a heavenly Master who loves
us and guides us. We know that by studying the gospel and educating ourselves in Christ, we
have a
future in him. Victims of human trafficking do not see this kind of love from their traffickers,
nor do they know the lot their traffickers have in store for them. Educating law enforcement
officers and communities on how to detect, report, and recognize victims of human trafficking
will help victim outcomes in the long run and let them know we are studying to help them so
they can have a better future. human trafficking will help victim outcomes in the long run and let
them know we are studying to help them so they can have a better future.
Liberty University strives for the education of its students to be the best they can be in
their chosen criminal justice profession. By implementing continuing education for law
enforcement officers in human trafficking and helping them understand what warning signs of
human trafficking are, we are allowing officers to potentially change the life of a victim. God
changed all our lives when we accepted him as our Lord and Savior. Education can change the
victims’ lives potentially too.
References
Barrick, K., Panichelli, M., Lambdin, B., Dang, M., & Lutnick, A. (2021). Law enforcement
identification of potential trafficking victims. Journal of Crime and Justice, 44(5), 579–
594. https://doi.org/10.1080/0735648x.2020.1837204
Blue Campaign. (2018, October 17). What Is Human Trafficking? Department of Homeland
Security. https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking
Bonilla, T., & Mo, C. H. (2019). The evolution of human trafficking messaging in the United
States and its effect on public opinion. Journal of Public Policy, 39(2), 201–234.
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0143814x18000107
Byrne, M., Parsh, S., & Parsh, B. (2019). Human trafficking. Nursing Management
(Springhouse), 50(8), 18–24. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.numa.0000575304.15432.07
Child & Youth Sex Trafficking POLICY GOAL 6.3. (2022).
https://reportcards.sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2021-NSL-
Survey_6.3.pdf
Connell, E., Jones, S., & Williams, J. (2018). Human Trafficking and the Transportation
Profession: How Can We Be Part of the Solution? ITE Journal, 88(7), 45–49.
Dandurand, Y. (2017). Human trafficking and police governance. Police Practice and Research,
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Farrell, A., Dank, M., Vries, I., Kafafian, M., Hughes, A., & Lockwood, S. (2019). Failing
victims? Challenges of the police response to human trafficking. Criminology & Public
Policy, 18(3), 649–673. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12456
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/
Mapp, S., Hornung, E., D’Almeida, M., & Juhnke, J. (2016). Local Law Enforcement
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Journal of Human Trafficking, 2(4), 329–342.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23322705.2016.1143764
Moukaddam, N., Torres, M., Vujanovic, A. A., Saunders, J., Le, H., & Shah, A. A.
(2021).
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Understanding Human Trafficking. (2022, April 26). United States Department of
State. https://www.state.gov/what-is-trafficking-in-persons
What is Human Trafficking? (2017, September 27). State of California - Department of Justice -
Office of the Attorney General. https://oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking/what-is
