“I was trafficked in South Florida from age 18 to 23 not knowing what a human trafficking victim was.”
Ten years later Kate Green, now a West Michigan social worker, was learning about human trafficking in a continuing education class.
“I literally fell out of my seat saying, oh my gosh, this is what happened to me.”
Green says it’s a subtle process, in her case starting with a friendship.
“Somebody who is telling you that you're beautiful and let me buy you things. And then, the coercion starts in, the manipulation, the threats, like, I will kill you, I will kill your family. I will go to the news about what you're doing because what you are doing is illegal.”
Green says human trafficking doesn’t always involve transporting a victim; many are coerced online.
“It can also happen in our own home. The exploitation, especially among youth and vulnerable adults, happens right on our own computers. And it is so lucrative.”
Green’s advice to anyone trying to leave a trafficking situation is to be open to help, despite the fear of reaching out.
“If we can just plant a seed of hope to anybody who is trying to leave this lifestyle, to know that there is help out there.”
The National Trafficking Hotline connects victims to local agencies for help at
1-888-373-7888.
On January 22, Wedgwood Christian Services is hosting a free educational event at Wealthy Street Theatre starting at 6 pm. Registration is required, using this form: www.wedgwood.org/story-you-dont-see.
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
