Intersectionality: a way of understanding the multiple layers of victim realities and oppressions they must face. Too often women and girls of color are not highlighted as victims despite the fact that “… girls of color, particularly African-American girls, are especially vulnerable to human trafficking” according to a powerful article by Gabrielle Union published by Essence.
In the article, Gabrielle Union sites that, “According to Rights4Girls, a leading advocacy organization working to improve the lives of marginalized girls, not only are girls of color disproportionately impacted by human trafficking, but they are also the majority of individuals criminalized for their exploitation. According to the FBI, African-American children comprise 52 percent of all juvenile prostitution arrests—more than any other racial group. They are left vulnerable to retraumatization in the juvenile and criminal justice systems, subjected to the consequences of having an arrest and juvenile record, and deprived of appropriate intervention and treatment services made available to other survivors of sexual abuse.”
She challenges us, “Do everything you can to expose the human rights violations that children who are victims of sexual exploitation suffer in the U.S. at the hands of authorities, instead of receiving the care and assistance to which they are entitled. Join campaigns like No Such Thing, which seeks to eliminate the term “child prostitute” from our language, law, and media.”
To learn more, read the full article, “Gabrielle Union: How Gender And Racial Disparities In Human Trafficking Affect Women And Girls Of Color“.
