Although the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution has forbidden the practices of slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States since 1865, the sad reality is these practices continue today, 155 years later.

It’s not out in the open as it once was, but rather seething beneath the surface in the dark corners of society, where men, women and children are exploited for labor, sex and financial gains of the ones trafficking them. There’s no question about it. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and the key ingredients are force, fraud and/or coercion.

A local nonprofit advocacy organization, Eastern North Carolina Stop Human Trafficking Now, offers a number of tips for recognizing the signs of human trafficking and what to do if you suspect it is happening.

Human trafficking may occur in the following situations:

• Prostitution and escort services;
• Pornography, stripping or exotic dancing;
• Massage parlors;
• Sexual services publicized on the internet or in newspapers;
• Agricultural or ranch work;
• Factory work or sweatshops;
• Businesses like hotels, nail salons or home-cleaning services;
• Domestic labor (cleaning, childcare, eldercare, etc. within a home);
• Restaurants, bars or cantinas;
• Begging, street peddling or door-to-door sales.

Victims of human trafficking may exhibit any of the following:

• Evidence of being controlled either physically or psychologically;
• Inability to leave home or place of work;
• Inability to speak for oneself or share one’s own information;
• Information is provided by someone accompanying the individual;
• Loss of control of one’s own identification documents (ID or passport);
• Have few or no personal possessions;
• Owe a large debt that the individual is unable to pay off; or
• Loss of sense of time or space, not knowing where they are or what city or state they are in.

So what can one person do to combat a problem so big?

First, take the time to educate yourself on what human trafficking is and how it impacts its victims. Offering resources and information specific to eastern North Carolina, www.encstophumantrafficking.org is a good place to start. From there, share that information with friends and loved ones, start a conversation in your community.

Likewise, if you see something, say something. Tips can be reported anonymously to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Additional resources can be found at www.humantraffickinghotline.org.

We might all like to think that human trafficking doesn’t happen in our communities. But that would be naive. If you suspect human trafficking is happening, report it, either to the national hotline or your local law enforcement agency. You might just save a life or help an enslaved person find their way to freedom.