Blog June 19, 2020

Unir los puntos

Escrito por Danielle Wright

The connection between race and human trafficking

The systemic racism occurring in our country and around the world has resurfaced a conversation about racial inequality that is long overdue. As a human rights organization serving Los Angeles, understanding the connection between human trafficking and racial injustice is critical to Cast’s mission. 

“It was not until I tried to escape my trafficker that I realized how present racism is in our communities. I was denied help and support from the authorities and various service organizations because I was Black – until I found Cast. I had a record that took Cast months to expunge because the legal system labeled me as a criminal,” says human trafficking survivor, Lyresh. 

Historic racial oppression and inequality have forced Black communities and several marginalized groups into extreme poverty, with limited access to opportunities and resources. As they face a wide range of institutional obstacles, Black Americans are vulnerable to extreme exploitation and human trafficking. The racial injustice that fuels human trafficking is reflected in the population Cast serves. Over 50% of Cast domestic clients are Black Americans, and they make up 90% of the women in our emergency shelter program. 

The frequent faces of human trafficking in America also reflect the faces of mass incarceration, criminalization, and police brutality. Black American human trafficking victims continue to be arrested for crimes their traffickers force them to commit. Human trafficking victims are arrested seven times more frequently for activity directly related to their trafficking than for other criminal activities. At Cast, 38% of all clients who have been unjustly criminalized are Black.

Human trafficking continues to be a critical threat to Black communities. As leaders advancing a social justice agenda, understanding how these disparities disproportionality impact these communities is essential to ending human trafficking. 

“It is all of our responsibility to speak loud against systemic racism and the injustice that continues to infiltrate Black communities. As a human rights organization, justice is not served for trafficking survivors without calling out racism and taking action,” says CEO of Cast, Kay Buck.

Entradas relacionadas

6 de junio de 2025

La red de seguridad que necesitan los supervivientes de la trata de seres humanos está en peligro

Artículo de opinión en Capitol Weekly de Kay Buck, Directora General de Cast, y Beth Hassett, Directora General de WEAVE, Inc. OPINIÓN - Los supervivientes de la trata de seres humanos se encuentran entre las personas más resistentes que hemos conocido. Cada...

2 de junio de 2025

La asambleísta González, Mira Sorvino y supervivientes de la trata de seres humanos piden financiación para los servicios a las víctimas antes de que finalice el plazo presupuestario estatal

El Estado no renueva la financiación de 30 millones de dólares para servicios de trata de seres humanos, lo que pone en peligro a las víctimas de California, advierten el asambleísta González, Mira Sorvino y defensores LOS ÁNGELES - El asambleísta Mark González...

motivo geométrico
15 de abril de 2025

Patrones de derivación relacionados con la salud entre los supervivientes del tráfico laboral y sexual en el condado de Los Ángeles, California.

¡La investigación de Cast ha sido publicada en el Journal of Human Trafficking! "Health-Related Referral Patterns Among Labor and Sex Trafficking Survivors in Los Angeles County, CA" profundiza en...