US Human Trafficking Destination State to Address this Frightening Crime

The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT) announced Tuesday that it is hosting two conferences regarding its three-year research project, the Colorado Project to Comprehensively Combat Human Trafficking (Colorado Project), a project begining in one of the states at the hub of this crime. 

Human trafficking is considered the second largest criminal industry worldwide, reaping billions of dollars in profits from a form of modern-day slavery. 

Every day, people around the world, including in the United States, are stolen and sold for a price. Some are taken against their will. Some are taken with consent of families in promise of a better life. 

Many self-identified targeted individuals, including in the United States, report being drugged and exploited, many for what appears to be non-consensual human research purposes. Most of these are women, but this crime is also being committed against men.

How could this happen to innocent targets? Because many people do not know it is going on is the most common answer among human rights defenders, based on research.

The human trafficking numbers are shocking, correct, and growing each year.

To help prevent this widespread crime, the LCHT was awarded a $1 million grant from the Embrey Family Foundation in November 2010. The grant is for an unprecedented national study of best practices against human trafficking.

The research will be piloted in Colorado, a source, transit and destination state for human trafficking in the United States, according to the researchers. 

A few statistics about this hidden crime of human trafficking include, according to Advocacy Blog: Human Trafficking:

 27 million: Number of people in modern-day slavery across the world.

 800,000: Number of people trafficked across international borders every year.

 1 million: Number of children exploited by the global commercial sex trade, every year.

 50%: Percent of transnational victims who are children.

 80%: Percent of transnational victims who are women and girls.

 161: Countries identified as affected by human trafficking.

Both of the upcoming conferences are now at-capacity and closed. 

On Wednesday, March 6, 2013, LCHT will host the Colorado Project State Conference at the SpringHill Suites Denver Downtown at Metro State in Denver, Colorado.

The State Conference will focus on responses to questions posed to the Colorado anti-human trafficking and parallel movement fields.  One of those questions was:

What are the elements of prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships that are taking place in Colorado? What are Colorado’s strengths and gaps in its comprehensive response to human trafficking?

LCHT in Denver says it knew they had to begin to understand their own state before moving forward in working with other states.

Data was gathered via 10 statewide focus groups, community interviews, individual interviews, and 168 Colorado surveys. The State Conference will open with comments by Andrew Romanoff, former Colorado Speaker of the House. 

Response came from across the country that crucially informed the project findings, with over 200 surveys and numerous informal and formal interviews conducted. 

Human trafficking is a severe form of exploitation (labor or sexual) of another human being. It includes pimping, domestic servitude, and migrant farm worker abuse in fields, among many other forms, according to LCHT. 

(Photo Credit: Advocacy Blog: Human Trafficking)