Why Education is the Greatest Weapon in Fighting Human Trafficking.

Human Trafficking Risk Factor #1: Poverty

At Global Renewal, we believe that education will help transform the lives of the many victims of forced child labor and human trafficking across Southeast Asia. Impoverished populations are at a heightened risk for human trafficking, and education in itself aims at reducing economic disparity.

According to the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, 171 million people could be lifted out of extreme poverty if all children left school with basic reading skills. Global Renewal serves to help sponsor impoverished children and youth from low-income communities to attend public schools as a way of trying to meet this need. Our Selah Safe Houses offer private schooling for rescued victims of human trafficking as well as online English courses taught by Global Renewal volunteers. These safe houses also create a space for safe social interactions, rest, and loving connections.

Education can build physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being that is integral to reforming more susceptible communities. According to Olivia Giovetti from Concern Worldwide, children who receive a primary education are more likely to develop social, emotional, cognitive, and communications skills at a higher level which can be used to generate higher incomes. If primary education can reach the hands of impoverished communities at early ages, the risk of trafficking within future generations will decrease substantially.

Human Trafficking Risk Factor #2: Deception of Economic Opportunities

Another great cause of human trafficking in impoverished countries is the risk of young mothers turning to human trafficking out of financial desperation or deceitful promises of economic opportunity.

Many traffickers themselves are the result of poverty. Yvonne Lafferty, in her “Child Abuse Review,” describes how “family friends” or “people movers” are generally poor, easily replaced, and sometimes even unknowing links to the larger process of sex trafficking rings. A basic education is vital to developing skills that individuals can use to attain safer and more secure circumstances and in ultimately decreasing their risk to trafficking circles. This is why Global Renewal spends so much time and effort in training and educating community leaders to spot human trafficking so we can stop it at its roots.

Human Trafficking Risk Factor #3: Gender Inequality

“When the man uses violence, you must accept it, and not use any means to protect yourself.” This quote by Yvonne Lafferty depicts just how many females in Southeast Asia are ingrained with this mentality. Sadly, one of the most powerful predictors of being trafficked, especially as a child, is simply being female. Furthering education for females is a powerful way to address gender disparity by helping to break down traditional attitudes in many patriarchal structures by addressing social and cultural norms.

One of the main risk factors that cause girls between the ages of 12 and 16 to be vulnerable to human trafficking is the lack of educational and vocational skills, especially among poorly educated ethnic minorities. Providing education to these more susceptible groups must be at the forefront to compensate for this lack. Though female weakness is ingrained in many traditional beliefs in many third-world nations to this day, educational reform can work to slowly change these harmful ideologies and reduce vulnerability to trafficking circles by spreading awareness. Education will also help to increase the respect due to young women and children, thus improving the safety of their environments.

We believe education is the best way to directly address the factors that make communities and individuals more susceptible to falling into the darkness of human trafficking – and that is why Global Renewal invests so strongly in the areas of training future leaders, educating our youth and children, and raising up the next generation to believe in human worth and value.

Join us in the fight against human trafficking through the power of education by getting involved in one of our Global Renewal Education Projects today!

*Blog written by Global Renewal Volunteer: Joanna Anil