Myths and facts

There are many myths and misunderstandings around human trafficking. Most of them are spread by traffickers and bad employers to justify exploiting their victims.

Not every employer is exploitative. But a boss who constantly seeks to justify dominating a worker has probably strayed over the line into exploitation.

A good test is for an employer to ask themselves: how would I feel if these statements were made about me – that I was an exploiter, a dominator, a human trafficker? How would I feel if my son or daughter had to work under the same conditions as my employee?

Human trafficking goes on in the shadows. The person being exploited may well be on the wrong side of the law, but that doesn’t mean they should be treated simply as a criminal – they are a victim too. They are human and deserve the fullest respect and dignity, like every other human being.

• Women working as prostitutes may have been forced into it by violence or threats of violence.
• Someone who is in the country illegally may not realise it. They may have travelled to the country believing they were heading for a respectable, legal job.
• People who are desperate may break the law, but only because they can see no other way of earning a living, or helping their family back home.

This is why those fighting against TIP work with police officers, prosecutors and the courts, to make them more aware of the reasons why people who have fallen into the hands of human traffickers should be considered more as victims than criminals.

That way the victims of human trafficking can get the help and support they need to rebuild their lives.