January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Did you know human trafficking is often a crime that is hidden in plain sight and is only visible to those who know the signs and indicators? There are also many myths regarding trafficking, which is why educating ourselves is critical. Many believe traffickers are usually strangers to the victim when, in fact, that’s the most uncommon situation.

Current statistics show that around 42 percent of trafficking victims were brought into trafficking by a member of their own families, and 39 percent were recruited via an intimate partner or a marriage proposition.

January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, a presidentially designated observance designed to educate the public about human trafficking and the role it can play in preventing and responding to human trafficking.

The theme for Human Trafficking Prevention Month 2024 is 'Activate Connections to Prevent Human Trafficking.'

This is an opportunity to highlight the importance of collaborating across multiple sectors to build human trafficking prevention initiatives that work. Human trafficking cannot be prevented by any one individual, community, organization, or government. To improve the lives of those we serve, we must activate connections throughout the systems that impact individual, family, community, and societal health and well-being. When we partner to prevent this, we can enhance our efforts to keep everyone safe from human trafficking.

To Activate Connections to Prevent Human Trafficking, Tahoe Youth & Family Services operates a Street Outreach Program in South Lake Tahoe to provide street-based services to youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual exploitation and severe forms of trafficking. In addition, we collaborate with our school district, other nonprofits, our community partners, and community members at large to inspire them to get involved in this movement through human trafficking awareness and prevention presentations as well as educational curriculums. Our goal is to educate as many people as possible about risks that can make someone vulnerable to trafficking, how traffickers lure and exploit victims, signs, and indicators of human trafficking, ways to protect yourself and others, and how we can all play an integral role in ending human trafficking. Together, we can curtail Human Trafficking in our community.

For more information on Human Trafficking prevention and education, email Shelby Musante at smusante@tahoeyouth.org.

National Human Trafficking Hotline Call: 1-888-373-7888 | Text: 233733 (BEFREE) | Live Chat: TTY: 711