Earlier this year, the Board of County Commissioners proclaimed January 2022 Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Multnomah County. The annual proclamation raises awareness about the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit human beings for sex or labor.
As of Dec. 20, 2021, an estimated 587 minors and 2,055 adults were victims of sex trafficking in Multnomah County. Marginalized communities face disproportionate rates of trafficking, including youth, LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous and immigrant communities.
Other factors exacerbate the human trafficking crisis. Criminal justice involvement, homelessness, poverty and domestic violence contribute to the conditions that harm people at risk of being trafficked.
Joyclyn Bell, a co-founding member of the NW Survivors Alliance, was among the speakers at the proclamation. As an expert with lived experience, Bell testified about the intersectionality of human trafficking, shedding light on its connections to patriarchy and colonization. Sex trafficking too often takes a heavy toll on communities of color, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, she said, adding that it’s important to focus on the social determinants of health that make people more vulnerable to trafficking.
In March 2022, Bell convened a panel discussion featuring Northwest Survivors Alliance leaders, survivors, and allies to talk at length about the history of sex trafficking, the current landscape, and community-based approaches to addressing it. Invited guests included:
- Jessica Parker, survivor
- Erik Gray, NW Survivors Alliance co-founder, Board Member - Organization for Prostitution Survivors (OPS)
- Robin Miller, case manager and survivor
- Adrienne Livingston, director of Anti-Sex Trafficking Initiatives at WorldVenture
Watch the entire conversation, unedited, in the video player at the top of the webpage.
