{"id":208,"date":"2026-03-25T18:26:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T18:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.icgadv.com\/dragonfly\/?p=208"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:45:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:45:26","slug":"human-trafficking-101-common-misconceptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.icgadv.com\/dragonfly\/education-awareness\/human-trafficking-101-common-misconceptions","title":{"rendered":"Human Trafficking 101: Common Misconceptions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Misconception: Human Trafficking victims are all, or mostly, foreign nationals.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

American citizens, as well as foreign nationals, can be victims of human trafficking in the United States. It\u2019s important not to overlook those who were born, raised, and trafficked right here in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misconception: Human Trafficking requires movement.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A person can be trafficked without ever leaving their house, especially in the case of parents selling children or intimate partners selling their wife or girlfriend. Many victim\/survivors of human trafficking report never leaving their hometown while being exploited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: Smuggling and human trafficking are two different crimes. Smuggling is a crime against a country\u2019s borders and involves illegally transporting someone into that country. Human trafficking is a crime against a person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misconception: Human Trafficking always involves organized crime.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A trafficker can be anyone: a parent, a friend, a student, maybe even a well-respected community member. Some traffickers may just have two or three people they sell regularly. While gangs and organized crime organizations are certainly heavily involved in human trafficking, it\u2019s important not to overlook smaller scale operations that easily stay under the radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misconception: Traffickers are all strangers and\/or abductors.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perpetrators of human trafficking are much more commonly people whom the victim knows \u2013 friends, family, acquaintances, friends of friends, and intimate partners. Sometimes, traffickers will reach out via social media and develop relationships through chat and private messages. These people create and take advantage of trusting relationships to manipulate someone into a trafficking situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misconception: The interstate highway system is the reason for human trafficking in my state.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to remember that human trafficking exists because there is a demand for illicit sex and cheap labor\/products. People who buy other people for sex and\/or labor are the reason for this crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding the highway system specifically, reality for many victims of human trafficking looks like being sold in their home state, their hometown, or in their family\u2019s home \u2013 no highways needed. While it\u2019s true that some traffickers keep victims on a moving circuit between cities all over the United States, some traffickers never take the people they sell out of town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, a number of complex factors contribute to a person or a state\u2019s vulnerability to human trafficking. Learn more about those factors here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misconception: Human Trafficking statistics are well documented and easy to gather.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At this point, all human trafficking \u201cstatistics\u201d in existence today are merely estimates. Trafficking is underreported, underdetected, and often mislabeled as another crime such as prostitution or domestic violence. As a result, reliable, hard-and-fast human trafficking statistics are difficult to come by in Oklahoma \u2013 and most everywhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As more victims are recovered out of trafficking, properly identified, and extended protection \u2013 and more researchers dedicate time to studying human trafficking \u2013 we\u2019ll see more accurate statistics. For now, treat human trafficking \u201cstatistics\u201d you see or hear as educated guesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misconception: Traffickers often stalk and abduct victims in public retail venues.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stories often circulate on social media about people being followed around Target or Hobby Lobby by someone who seems suspicious, raising fears of being kidnapped and sold by human traffickers. These are not scenarios that are commonly reported by victims of trafficking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should always<\/em> practice being aware of our surroundings and personal safety. Predators could certainly follow someone around a store with malicious intent. If someone is following you and\/or exhibiting threatening behavior, you should report it immediately to the authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, traffickers tend to be more strategic about who they recruit, rather than conducting random<\/em> kidnappings. They are much more likely to reach out to someone who seems vulnerable and develop a relationship they can take advantage of to get that person into human trafficking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Misconception: Human Trafficking victims are all, or mostly, foreign nationals. American citizens, as well as foreign nationals, can be victims of human trafficking in the United States. 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