Why human traffickers target individuals with disabilities? 

Human trafficking is, the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit a person for the purpose of commercial sex acts or labor servitude. Human trafficking is about making a high profit with the lowest possible risk to get caught by law enforcement. Thus, traffickers target vulnerable community members to lower their risk of getting caught by authorities; the more vulnerable an individual is, unfortunately that person is a better target for human traffickers.

 

Historically, the disability community has been targeted by traffickers for several reasons including, but not limited to:

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1. Financial Access: Traffickers may target people with disabilities to access their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.

2. Dependence: Individuals with disabilities may require a caregiver to meet their basic needs and that causes a learned response to comply with the caregivers’ wishes due to their dependence on them. This situation makes them vulnerable by normalizing an unequal power dynamic in their relationships, which could carry over into their relationship with a trafficker or abuser. Additionally, the caregiver can take advantage of this dependency and force individuals with disabilities into labor servitude or commercial sex acts.

3. Communication Difficulties: Communication and/or impediment speech may affect some individuals’ ability to get the help they need and report an abusive situation. It makes this population more vulnerable, especially if they depend on their trafficker for interpretation.

4. Desensitized to Touch: The isolation and lack of sex education, along with communication difficulties, make any consent to a sexual relationship more complicated among individuals with disabilities. It could mean they may not understand the concept of consent. As a result, they may be desensitized to touch.

5. Isolation: Disability can be an isolating experience that can affect individuals with disabilities at some stage of their lives. This isolation and loneliness that causes individuals with disabilities to desire relationships or friendship make them more vulnerable to being targeted by traffickers.

6. Social Discrimination: The social discrimination and prejudice that individuals with disabilities often face in our society is another factor that makes them more vulnerable to trafficking situations. People with disabilities may be less likely to be taken seriously when they make a report of sexual assault or abuse. They may also face challenges in accessing services to make a report in the first place.