Myth vs Reality: Part Five

Most trafficking victims are preyed upon by someone they know, and traffickers rarely take their victims by force. The Guardian Group says “it is more common for traffickers to build some type of relationship with their victim prior.” “It's not a common form of recruitment for a trafficking situation for someone to be abducted,” said Megan Cutter, director of National Human Trafficking Hotline. “That's not to say it never happens. But most commonly, the trafficker is someone that the person being victimized knows whether they're a family member, a friend, an intimate partner, someone that they love and that they trust, even.” They are groomed and effectively manipulated that even while being trafficked, sometimes youth continue going to school, living at home, and participating in extracurricular activities.