By Abinaya Sridharan
The target for human trafficking is young women and children.
To keep yourself safe here are some tips!
Be careful of your surroundings, nitpick everything and anything that you think is abnormal. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Always go with a group of people in secluded areas or at night. This may seem sad that us women have to depend on others to keep ourselves safe but It helps to have a trusted male partner to have around when you are going to these areas. For example; Father, Brother, Trusted friend, Partner etc.
Use social media wisely. It's best to put your socials in private and know who your friends and partners are. Yes there are cases where “friends”/”partners” can lead you to trafficking.
Do not accept random offers of help especially if it's from a man. For example let's take this scenario for example. A tall built man asking you to lift heavy items to his car. Chances are if a guy needs help he won't be asking a young woman/teen but another man. Of course context matters and you should be wary of anyone trying to lure you into their car. However most tactics of abductions start out like this
Most abductions happen in parking lots near malls or grocery shops. When you are out of the store, quickly get into your car and drive. People may be monitoring you every second.
If you do feel like someone is following you, ask for help and never be caught alone. Mingle with a group of people to get out of that situation. Ask a store employee to escort you out of the store etc.
Protect yourself with tasers, pepper spray anything.
The number one thing is…Ladies trust your Instincts. No matter how stupid or how insignificant the situation may be. If your instincts know something is up, LISTEN TO IT.
I hope no one meets the fate of getting trafficked, please be safe and share this to educate other people.