Since joining HOPE61, I have traveled to many countries, leading prevention trainings in diverse communities. As our team works in different regions, we continue to learn new things, including which forms of human trafficking are most common there. Sometimes what we encounter is expected. Other times, it is shocking and deeply unsettling, as in the story shared in a previous blog post, "Eyes to See: Why We Do What We Do."
Human trafficking is illegal in every country in the world, but the reality is far more complicated. In many places, including the United States, government officials and law enforcement do not just look the other way; in some cases, they actively participate in and benefit from the exploitation. I saw this firsthand during my first trip to Southeast Asia.
I knew that sex trafficking was illegal there, and I was aware of how prevalent it was—you may have heard of the term “sex tourism.” What I was not prepared for, however, was how visible and normalized it would be. We stayed in a busy tourist area, and simply walking a few blocks around our hotel meant being approached repeatedly by young women and girls who knew only one word of English: “Massage?”
To some, this might sound harmless or even ordinary. In many parts of the world, legitimate massage businesses do exist, and unknowing tourists may assume that is what is being offered. But in this context, the word carried a very different meaning. It was not an invitation to relaxation or wellness. It was a coded offer, one shaped by exploitation and survival. For many of these girls, approaching strangers was not a choice but an expectation. Their safety depended on how much money they brought in.
What made this even more disturbing was how the surrounding infrastructure supported it. Many of the hotels in that area rent rooms by the hour rather than by the night. This practice exists almost entirely to accommodate the sex industry, regardless of the form it takes. Short-term room rentals make it easier for buyers to come and go quickly, for exploitation to remain hidden, and for victims to be used repeatedly without drawing attention. Everything about the system is designed for profit.
Seeing this broke my heart. The girls were not hidden in back alleys or dark corners. They were out in the open, walking the streets, knocking on doors, and calling out to passersby. Over time, many learn how to appear willing and confident because they are punished if they do not meet expectations. What looks like consent on the surface is often the result of fear, coercion, and survival.
One of the hardest parts for me was resisting the urge to make eye contact. I wanted to look at them and communicate, “I see you. You matter.” But in that setting, eye contact from a man carries a very different meaning. In a culture where sexual exploitation has become so normalized that tourists from all over the world travel to this region specifically to purchase access to women and children, something has gone terribly wrong.
On my way home, I had a layover in Japan and struck up a conversation with a man who asked where I had been. When I told him, he explained rather excitedly that his company liked to take executives to this location to “visit the girls.” He insisted that they only went to places where the women were old enough and were participating by choice. When I tried to explain what really happens behind the scenes, he was unwilling to listen.
Human trafficking is not a distant issue. It happens in every country in the world, with the affluent countries, like the United States, being major destination points because of the need for cheap labor and the unceasing demands of the sex industry. Many people acknowledge that they know trafficking exists but purposely avoid learning more because it challenges their sense of comfort and security. That discomfort, when ignored, allows exploitation to continue.
When we choose to truly see what human trafficking is and how it operates, we help to reduce demand and prevent it from taking hold in our communities. Awareness leads to action. Action leads to change.
And it starts with you.
