There's Always Traffick: Dispelling Myths and Unveiling the Truth About Sex Trafficking with Dr. Marlene Carson
In This Episode…
Myths and truths about human trafficking
A survivor’s story and how she broke her 30-year silence
How you can help the victims
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Key Points
Myths About Human Trafficking:
1 - “It can’t happen to my child.” Trafficking is not just something that occurs in third-world countries or in non-affluent neighborhoods within the U.S. Victims of trafficking are of various races/ethnicities and have various levels of intelligence.
2 – “My child does not fit the profile of a traffick victim.” There is no set criteria for what a potential victim of trafficking looks like.
3- “The motive for sex trafficking is sex.” The real motives behind human trafficking are money and control.
4- “Pimps are always men.” Your typical pimp or trafficker is a woman who has been trained by a male pimp (and was one of his victims). In some cities they are Caucasian women.
5- “Traffickers are looking for young women—not someone as young as my child.” The prime candidates for human trafficking are youth that are 12-16 years old, because they are still young enough to be molded.
6- “I have sons, so I don’t have to worry about them being kidnapped and sold into sex trafficking.” Boys are victims of human trafficking, too.
Everyone in this world needs two things to thrive: love and family. When you feel like you don’t have that, you become vulnerable to negative emotions. The rejection of children by their parents for boyfriends or in favor of other siblings, is so heartbreaking and unbearable for them, that they run away, and it makes them easy targets for a trafficker to come along and “accept” them into their “family.”
Trafficking continues to proliferate because there’s not enough education about it—and the public at large does not want to know. The pimps in turn, play on our ignorance, as illustrated in Dr. Marlene’s personal story about being kidnapped and sold into prostitution.
Some of the things that make a city a prime candidate to carry out human trafficking are:
Easy access in and out of the state via its roadways
The severity of state laws regarding human trafficking
In the Bible, Rahab was a prostitute, and eventually became a part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. But what people don’t describe her as, is an entrepreneur. Just like Rahab, there may be more to you than meets the eye, more than others can see.
Just know that there IS hope Marlene Carson
What You Can Do
Get educated about the dangers of human trafficking, and teach your children what to watch out for.
Teach your kids to be aware of their surroundings. Talking loudly on the phone, having headphones or earbuds in their ears in public, without knowing who could be listening to them, or lurking behind them, is a safety concern.
Keep the lines of communication open with your child. Make them feel safe and ensure that they know they can talk to you about anything.
When talking to or working with victims or survivors of human trafficking, you have to be very compassionate, non-judgmental and loving in your communication with them, in an environment that makes them feel safe.
To get help for someone who you think may be a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.
When you call, give a description of the person(s) you see (victims and traffickers) including any bodily marks or tattoos), the location, license plate numbers, description of vehicles. Every case is investigated, even if you don’t receive a follow-up. Your tip can be anonymous, but don’t turn a blind eye.
Connect with My Guest
Dr. Marlene Carson, Minister, Survivor, Author, Founder of Rahab’s Hideaway
Website (temporarily down at press time—save for future reference)
Links and Resources
National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888
12 Steps to Transform the Exploited Soul by Dr. Marlene Carson, coming soon
Captivated Tour – ICU = I See You
Dr. Carson referred to the movie Pretty Woman starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, about a man who falls in love with a prostitute.
She also referred to the story of Rahab the harlot, who is prominently mentioned in the Bible in the book of Joshua, Chapters 2 through 6, in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1:5, and also in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11:31.