Healthy Relationships & Human Trafficking

Can you recognize the signs of human trafficking? Would you know what to do to support someone who is being victimized by a trafficker? February 22 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, so this week we’re discussing prevalence, signs, and what you can do if you or someone you know is at risk. Shortcut: Call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-833-900-1010. Or chat online at www.canadianhumantraffickinghotline.ca And don’t forget to go back and listen to Episode 147: How to Help Someone in an Abusive Relationship If you’ve got questions or topic suggestions for the podcast, submit them here. As well, you can now record your messages for us! Please record your message/question in a quiet room and use your phone’s headphones with a built-in mic if possible. And be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music & Stitcher! Rough Transcript: This is a computer-generated rough transcript, so please excuse any typos. This podcast is an informational conversation and is not a substitute for medical, health or other professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the services of an appropriate professional should you have individual questions or concerns. Healthy Relationships & Human Trafficking Participant #1: You're listening to the Sex with Dr. Jess podcast, Sex and Relationship advice you can use tonight. Welcome to the Sex with Dr. Jess podcast. I'm your co host, Brandon. We're here with my always lovely other half, Dr. Jess. Hey. Getting lovelier by the day because I just had a birthday. You did? So you're extra lovely today. Yeah. That's how I'm going to frame it. Yeah. February is a big day for me. And Brandon was February 12, but I missed it. I was away. That's okay. I mean, I cried a little bit, but then I was okay. You got over it. I got over it. You got over it. So moving through February very quickly and February 22, just a few days ago, was the International Data End Human Trafficking. And if you're on my IG, you know, I've been working with the Canadian Center to End Human Trafficking to just raise awareness because really I have a lot to learn. And I was reading through some of their recent research. And I have to say the findings don't surprise me because I fall into the vast majority around 77%, who don't know how to recognize the signs, especially the more subtle ones. And I don't think I would know how to respond if someone I saw, if I was concerned about someone, especially if it was someone I didn't know. And I've been learning as we go. So we're going to be talking about human trafficking and sex trafficking today, including what it is, how to recognize the signs, and how we can all be a part of the solution. And just before we get started, I want to be really clear that we're not confusing trafficking with sex work because somebody brought that up on IG. And I know there are some folks who conflate the two, but I think, you know from listening to this podcast that we know that sex work is real work. We have sex workers on our show sharing their perspective on all things. So before we get started, I just want to make that very clear. When we're talking about human trafficking, sex trafficking, we're talking about coercion into doing things against your will. And we're talking about solutions and support that have to be centered on the needs of trafficking victims and survivors who are really the ultimate experts. And I know the Canadian Center to End Human Trafficking is focused on centering these voices reflecting the voices of those they serve and their campaigns and services really reflect this. So we're going to dive in. But one more thing, one more important piece of housekeeping. If this is a topic that feels like it might be distressful for you, I can encourage you to pause, maybe take a break, perhaps save it for later or skip it altogether if it feels like too much. And if you're feeling distressed or triggered by th...