Human trafficking survivor educates youth at Covenant House Detroit
(CBS DETROIT) - Human trafficking is a crime that often hides in plain sight.
Many people who have experienced human trafficking don't even realize the situation they're in. Some of the residents at Covenant House Detroit are learning about signs of human trafficking from someone who's been through it before.
Detroit Human Trafficking Task Force member Alice Johnson was the one delivering this message as a survivor. Johnson says her story not only helps these residents identify themselves as victims of human trafficking but also helps them heal as survivors.
Trauma is one thing many of the 18 to 24-year-olds who live at the Covenant House carry with them, and that includes the trauma from human trafficking.
"One of the reasons it is so powerful is because it is done from a survivor's perspective. I'm a survivor, so I would come in and talk to them about what trafficking entails," Johnson said.
She says part of this workshop is helping people realize that they're victims themselves so they can start the journey of addressing that trauma.
"Most survivors do not identify, especially if it's familial trafficking, gang trafficking. People who are brought up in the system and are still kind of young where you haven't really quite grasped the concept of what that is or why it's happening to you," Johnson said.
According to the National Association of Counties, Michigan ranked seventh for the presence of human trafficking in 2021, with more than 10,000 cases reported.
The Detroit Human Trafficking Taskforce and Covenant House say they are working to reduce the number of cases that go unnoticed. They encourage people to report suspicious activity to police and provide a list of resources where potential victims can get help.
"While a young person can remain housed at Covenant House, we work with partners in the community to help supplement that kind of management that they need in order to recover from the events," said Covenant House Michigan CEO Meagan Dunn.