Editor,
Human trafficking — it sounds horrible, right? We rarely think about the impact it has on its victims and certainly don’t believe it’s happening anywhere near us. However, human trafficking is quickly becoming recognized as an issue in New Mexico. Being a border state and having two major roadways puts us in a unique position for a heightened human trafficking risk.
U.S. federal law describes human trafficking victims as children involved in the sex trade, adults age 18 or older who are coerced or deceived into commercial sex acts and anyone forced into different forms of “labor or services” such as domestic workers held in a home, or farm workers forced to labor against their will.
The detrimental health implications associated with human trafficking are enormous. They involve psychological trauma that can include anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, confusion, phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of having to endure brutal conditions. Victims experience feelings of helplessness, shame, humiliation and denial.
Physical health consequences include broken bones, contusions, pain, loss of consciousness, headaches, high fevers, gastrointestinal problems, undiagnosed pelvic pain, complications from abortions, dermatological problems (e.g., rashes, scabies and lice), unhealthy weight loss and dental and oral health problems.
Children are often malnourished, which results in stunted development.
I urge writers and editors at the Daily Lobo to publish more articles about human trafficking and how to stop it. I also urge readers to make themselves aware of and become more familiar with this issue so that they can advocate for justice and freedom on an individual and statewide level. Human trafficking affects every single country in the world and nobody should ever have to endure the pain associated with it. We can make a difference.
Sincerely,
Christina Bacca
New Mexico State University – Albuquerque campus student
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