From national NGOs to international organizations- there are numerous institutions, that offer their help in various ways to victims of human trafficking. However, you don’t have to be a member of an association to be able to help here. Anyone can participate in the fight against human trafficking. How? We have summarized 20 ways, how you can help the victims of illegal exploitation.
EVERYTHING STARTS WITH YOU
- Learn through which signs you can recognize human trafficking. The Austrian federal ministry and other government agencies list indicators of the presence of human trafficking on their websites.
- If you suspect that a person is a victim of human trafficking, then – when possible, always with the agreement and consent of those affected- contact the federal criminal police office’s hotline on +43 677 61343434 or write an email to menschenhandel@bmi.gv.at. Be sure to share all of your observations and data known to you. When possible, specify the following information, so that the victim is quickly identified and gets help as soon as possible:
- Name of the victim
- Where did you notice something?
- What did you notice?
- Your name (for possible inquiries)
- Adjust your buying habits and become a responsible as well as an informed consumer. Learn where and how your clothing was made. Encourage companies to implement preventative measures against human trafficking in their supply chains and to publish information about the working conditions of their employees.
- Inform yourself and others about human trafficking. You can find important information and helpful articles about illegal exploitation at for example:
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER
- Contact politicians at the local, state, and federal levels and let them know how important it is to you to combat human trafficking. Ask what they are doing, to tackle the problem and urge them to take the situation seriously and to act accordingly.
- Get involved in voluntary work and help organizations like Hope for the Future with the fight against human trafficking.
- Organize a fundraiser and donate the proceeds to an anti-human trafficking organization.
- Watch movies about human trafficking alone, with friends, or with family and discuss the topic. Find out why and how modern slavery still exists today or discover how forced labor can affect global food supply chains.
- Use the hashtags #endtrafficking and #freedomfirst in your social media posts and draw attention to the topic of human trafficking.
ALL HELP MATTERS!
- To parents, legal guardians, and caregivers: human traffickers often approach young people to recruit them. Learn here how to interpret the signs and have informative discussions with the minors. Arrange lectures and talks with parents, teachers’ associations, law enforcement agencies, schools, and community members about the protection of children.
- To young people: recognize the recruiting tactics human traffickers use. Learn how you can safely leave suspicious and uncomfortable situations and to which organizations you can turn for help and protection.
- To students: become active on campus, drawing attention to the topic of human trafficking and urging to include the topic in the curriculum of the universities.
- To healthcare workers: learn how you can recognize the indicators of human trafficking and how you can help the victims.
- To media representatives: The media plays an enormous role in building awareness and in spreading the open discussion about human trafficking. That is why responsible and effective reports about human trafficking are particularly important.