What is Human Trafficking

In a small town, people are dreaming: a man dreams of buying a house; a woman dreams of travelling; and an adolescent dreams of attending university. As each story plays out, we watch the devastating, step-by-step process of human traffickers taking advantage of these dreams. This five-minute animated video illustrates how human trafficking doesn’t happen all at once, but rather is a process of three elements: Act, Means and Purpose.

In a small sleepy town,
people are dreaming.

But not everyone's dreams will come true.

Human traffic is prey on people's dreams

and lure them away for their own
benefit.

How do they do this?

Human trafficking doesn't happen
all of a sudden.

It's a process.

First traffickers act.

This includes recruiting victims,

transporting them to the place
where they will be exploited,

hiding them from authorities,

and receiving victims from
other traffickers.

So why don't the
victims run away or say no ?

Because traffickers use different means.

This includes threatening or forcing
victims to do what they want,

abducting or deceiving the victim
and abusing power.

Sometimes, traffickers promise
small payments or benefits

to get the victim to cooperate.

And why are the traffickers doing this?

The purpose of trafficking is
Exploitation.

Traffickers take advantage of victims
for their own profits or benefit.

This is Human Trafficking.

This man's neighbour tells him

that he has a great job for him on a
very safe construction site,

and that he will be paid a a lot of
money.

With more money he can make his
dreams come true.

He agrees to take the job.

A few days later the
neighbour's friend picks him up,

and they drive to the construction site.

It's a very long way from his home.

This man is put to work immediately

without any training or protective
equipment

without enough to eat or drink and
with very few breaks.

After many months, he's only being paid
a fraction of what he was promised.

He knows he's being tricked, but he
doesn't have enough money to get home.

This man is a victim of Human Trafficking.

He was recruited by his neighbour,

and tricked into thinking,

he was going to work at a safe
construction site for fair paying.

Instead, he was forced to work long hours
in unsafe conditions for almost no money

what others benefited from his
exploitation.

One day while looking for jobs online,

this woman comes across an opportunity
to work in a restaurant in a big city.

Her application is successful and her new
employer arranges for her travel fare.

She is met at the airport and driven
to a part of the city

that looks nothing like she expected.

The car pulls up to a building.

The door shut and locked behind her.

She is made to perform
sex acts against her will.

She is trapped.

This woman is a victim of
Human Trafficking.

She was transported by a trafficker
from the airport to location of the job.

When she arrived at the location and
realized it was not the restaurant job

she was expecting, the traffickers
used force to keep her there.

She was then exploited for
forced sex work.

This 14 year old boy on school break
is approached on the street

by a woman who looks trustworthy.

She tells him that she needs workers
at her factory.

And she promises him lots of money.

He brings her to meet his parents,

they are so happy for him.

He'll be now able to save money
for school.

The woman drives him to the
next town.

They pull up to an old building.

There is someone waiting for him.

As he is let inside,
the nice lady drives off.

The factory isn't anything like she
described.

There are a lots of people working
including many children.

He works all day,

and after just a few hours of sleep
he starts again.

He is sad, this isn't what he expected.

He misses his family.

After weeks, he still hasn't received any
salary or been allowed to contact them.

He is trapped.

This boy is a victim of Human Trafficking.

He was tricked by the woman who
recruited him on the street.

He was then received by a trafficker
when he arrived at the factory

and exploited by being forced
to sew clothing.

For anyone under the age of 18,

only the act in purpose matter for it to
legally be a case of human trafficking.

Understanding that human trafficking
doesn't happen all at once,

but instead is a process of
act, mean, and purpose,

helps us better identify victims
and trafficking trends.

People everywhere are dreaming.

And looking for opportunities to
make those dreams come true.