Combatting human trafficking of minors involves knowing how this population is uniquely vulnerable. Unlike adult victims, minors have less freedom—the ability to leave home, travel, or make adult decisions—including whether or not someone they meet is safe to spend time with. Traffickers exploit this naiveté through strategic impression managementand interpersonal charm, promising freedom but forcing submission through both physical and emotional bondage.
Initially, however, among the powerful strategies of seduction traffickers use to lure and ensnare victims, is the selective attention they use to beguile young people as well as their families. Unaware of their malevolent intentions, parents may view them as positive “role models” in the lives of their children—who are uniquely susceptible to adult influence. And when it comes to romantic relationships, teenagers have less life experience to determine appropriate relational boundaries. This is especially true if they are being raised in abusive homes or within exploitive relationships—circumstances that investigators and advocates can recognize if they know what to look for.
