How COVID-19 Has Made Communities More Vulnerable To Exploitation

As we continue to deal with the devastating effects of COVID-19, research has found that certain communities have been hit by this pandemic harder than others. COVID-19 has amplified the vulnerabilities created by pre-existing racial and economic disparities.  Those same vulnerabilities make some communities more at risk of being trafficked than others.

According to the Pew Research Center, the unemployment rate in the U.S. increased from 3.8% in February to 13.0% in May, and the increase in unemployment has been even more significant among Black, Latinx, and immigrant workers. In addition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus case rate for Black Americans is 2.6 times higher than that for White Americans, the rate of hospitalization is 4.7 times higher, and the rate of death is 2.1 times higher. In a health-care system already driven by wealth and privatized care, low-income communities and communities of color are at an extreme disadvantage when it comes to finding services for COVID-19.

The systemic inequities that COVID-19 has exacerbated and highlighted also create deeper vulnerabilities to human trafficking. With high unemployment rates and increased need for health-care services, low-income communities and communities of color are more vulnerable than ever, increasing the feelings of desperation that can lead people into situations of trafficking. 

A survey of trafficking survivors conducted by the UN Women and ODIHR this summer found that “The emergency measures during the COVID-19 pandemic presented, in many countries, a number of increased risks for victims of trafficking, including intensification of control, violence and isolation by their exploiters, and an increased lack of access to assistance. Previous studies have also shown that national and global financial crises that lead to rising unemployment rates cause increased vulnerability to trafficking. In a report conducted by the U.S. Department of State in 2009, researchers found that a financial crisis increases both the supply and demand for human trafficking.  A report by the International Organization for Migration  emphasized that “Responding to trafficking in persons and exploitation in times of crisis should be considered a life-saving protective activity...Several risk factors related to TiP are similar in both crisis and non-crisis situations. However, crises prompt additional and specific risk factors, which vary whether crises are induced by armed conflicts, natural disasters or protracted situations.” 

Children and young adults are also in a uniquely vulnerable position for human trafficking. The increase in virtual schooling and activities for youth while parents continue to work means that students are increasingly left without adult supervision while online. This can lead youth to become more susceptible to dangerous parts of the internet with increasingly fewer role models and mentors who could potentially intervene in an exploitative situation. ECPAT International reports the number of cases of online sexual exploitation of children have tripled in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S. reports a 98.66% increase in online enticement reports between January - September 2020 versus the same time period in 2019.

Where economic and racial disparities have always contributed to pathways to trafficking, COVID-19 is only amplifying these disparities and increasing and lengthening these pathways. None of these issues exist in a vacuum - instead, they all prey off of each other, making the effects of each issue significantly worse. When examining issues of human trafficking in the current moment, it is important to consider the factors of both racial/economic disparities and COVID-19 as they make deep contributions to the context of why people are increasingly vulnerable to trafficking. 

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