Human Trafficking and New Orleans

The human trafficking epidemic affects virtually every part of the world. It does not come as a surprise, therefore, that New Orleans is home to a large portion of traffickers and those enslaved. “New Orleans is a significant source, transit, and destination location for human trafficking” (The Louisiana HumanTrafficking Report). This is for a number of reasons. First, the city’s location, including its use as a major port city, creates easy access. Second, the high rates = of poverty and homelessness create a climate of vulnerability. As people are increasingly desperate for jobs and some form of income, it becomes easier to become exploited. Additionally, New Orleans has especially high rates of homelessness in youth, creating a climate of vulnerability not only for adults seeking employment, but also for the city’s population of minors. Amongst these factors, the high demand for sexual entertainment services adds to this climate, creating a demand for sex workers and a concentration of sex traffickers, as they are aware of the ‘business opportunities’ that New Orleans offers. 

These factors make obvious the near-certain prevalence of human trafficking in Louisiana and the New Orleans area. However, any persons interested in finding information will find early on into their research that there is very little information that has been gathered.  This is one of the many issues that appear in attempting to tackles the vastness of the issue of human trafficking—the lack of research and information that is available, both locally and on the problem as a whole. This is for many reasons, including the hidden nature of modern-day slavery. It is difficult to determine the prevalence of a problem that is almost completely camouflaged.

Nevertheless, steps are being taken in New Orleans itself in order to tackle the problem trafficking. Organizations and institutions are rising up in order to make a dent and begin changing how slavery is viewed and handled. These include homes for victims, where they will receive rehabilitation and assistance to become reintegrated into society as free men and women.  For example, at Eden House, “women receive wrap-around services such as counseling, education, and job training,” and addiction rehabilitation. Other programs include Covenant House, Odyssey House, NewOrleans Dream Center, and Baptist Friendship House.
Organizations, institutions, government entities, law enforcement agencies and New Orleans citizens are also teaming up to effectively put a dent in the trafficking business of New Orleans. With the New Orleans Human TraffickingWorking Group, “a coalition of state, civil society, and citizen organizers” has been created to assist in the prevention of human trafficking “through education, advocacy, and research.” In partnership with the Modern Slavery Research Project at Loyola University New Orleans, the Louisiana Human Trafficking Report has been compiled, the “first-ever report on human trafficking in the New Orleans metro area.” The steps that are being taken by these groups and others are beginning to cause a change that will potentially cause a shift in the momentum of human trafficking in the area, making it more difficult for exploiters to continue in their criminal actions and creating an atmosphere oriented to assisting victims.