Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is happening and not just in faraway places, but right here in our Georgia communities. Every year, millions of people, including children, across the globe are victims of human trafficking.

But what is Human Trafficking?

You may have heard about “human trafficking” in the news, on social media, and in entertainment media. But what is human trafficking? How does it happen to someone? Who are the traffickers? Where does this happen? How can you help?

Human trafficking is a crime that involves forcing, defrauding (deceiving), or coercing (pressuring or threatening) someone to provide labor or commercial sexual acts. Exploiters profit off of the forced labor and forced sex of victims. Victims include both adults and children.

Child trafficking -

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC)

Child trafficking is the abuse of children for profit. It includes the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons under the age of 18. Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is believed to be the most prevalent form of child trafficking.

Some young victims are marketed for sex on street corners or in clubs; others are advertised online.

However, many are exploited for profit within their own homes.

Traffickers prey on children as young as 9 years of age. They target minors through social media, at after-school programs, at malls, at bus stations, in clubs, and through friends or acquaintances who recruit youth.

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Myths and Misconceptions

  • Fact: Human Trafficking exists in every country, including the United States. It exists nationwide- in cities, suburbs, and rural towns- possibly in your own community.

  • Fact: Human trafficking victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality. They may come from any socioeconomic group. A socioeconomic group is the social standing or class of an individual or group. It is often measured as a combination of education, income, and occupation.

  • Fact: Sex trafficking exists, but it is not the only type of human trafficking. Forced labor is another type of human trafficking; both involve exploitation of people. Victims are found in legitimate and illegitimate labor industries, including sweatshops, massage parlors, agriculture, restaurants, hotels, and domestic service.

  • Fact: Under U.S. federal law, any minor under the age of 18 who is induced to preform commercial sex acts is a victim of human trafficking, regardless of whether he or she is forced or coerced.

  • Fact: Human trafficking is not the same as smuggling. “Trafficking” is based on exploitation and does not require movement across borders. “Smuggling” is based on movement and involves moving a person across a country’s border with that person’s consent in violation of immigration laws. Although human smuggling is very different from human trafficking, human smuggling can turn into trafficking if the smuggler uses force, fraud, or coercion to hold people against their will for the purposes of labor or sexual exploitation. Under federal law, every minor induced to engage in commercial sex is a victim of human trafficking.

  • Fact: Human trafficking is often a hidden crime. Victims may be afraid to come forward and get help; they may be forced or coerced through threats or violence; they may fear retribution from traffickers, including danger to their families; and they may not be in possession of or have control of their identification documents.

Harmony House is a proud working partner with the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council of Georgia’s Human Trafficking Task Force.

The Task Force operates by a targeted, strategic framework that addresses the 5 elements of the trafficking continuum: vulnerability - recruitment - exploitation - withdrawal - reintegration. 


Under this continuum, the Task Force functions based on nine key objectives:

  1. Community Awareness and Education

  2. Prevention and Safety 

  3. Deterring Traffickers and Buyers 

  4. Keeping At-Risk Youth Safe

  5. Apprehending, Investigating, and Prosecuting 

  6. Foreign-Born and Labor Trafficking 

  7. Survivors Supported and Protected 

  8. Survivors Recovering and Thriving

  9. Examining Domestic Adult Sex Trafficking

Harmony House offers community training in:

Human Trafficking 101 and Hotel/Motel staff training to assist in identifying and serving victims, and offering greater knowledge about human trafficking in our rural community.