Illinois Task Force February Meeting

We had another Illinois Task Force on Human Trafficking meeting today. This is the one time that people from the different regions of Illinois come together and can learn what is happening at the different task forces around the state. There is also usually an educational component where we learn about some emerging trend or study on human trafficking. 

This meeting we had a very informative presentation from a Chicago based service provider Emmaus on male victims/survivors of trafficking. I learned that fewer than 2% of the anti-trafficking organizations in the United States have services for male survivors despite the fact that we are seeing increased numbers of male victims. In addition to the lack of services there is also minimal screenings for male victims and services, training on specialized cases of male victims, and housing support for men not just in Illinois but around the country. Men are the majority of labor trafficking victims but boys especially can be victims of sex and labor trafficking. They also discussed how societal, homophobic, and gendered expectations keep men from identifying and reporting their victimization. Police are also more likely to arrest male victims and less likely to refer men to victims/survivor services organizations. 

Even though I have been studying human trafficking for decades it is always changing and evolving so I was thankful for the opportunity to learn more about the specific needs and challenges supporting male victims/survivors of human trafficking in the United States.