Sex trafficking is a public health issue
Sex trafficking is not just an isolated crime against an individual. It is a community health crisis—rooted in systemic issues like poverty, inequality, discrimination, and lack of protective support. These same forces ripple through communities, harming far more than those directly exploited.
That’s why Everstrong approaches prevention through a public health lens. Our programs look beyond individual experiences to address the community-level risks and protective factors that make young people vulnerable—or safe.
When sex trafficking is de-sensationalized and demystified, communities begin to recognize the social and structural gaps that allow exploitation to thrive. And once those gaps are visible, they can be closed.
Sex trafficking doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It thrives where communities are already vulnerable. That’s why Everstrong addresses trafficking as a multi-dimensional issue—economic, cultural, social, and systemic.
An Economic Issue
When civic supports like affordable housing, healthcare, and living-wage jobs are lacking, millions live in chronic insecurity. Traffickers exploit these vulnerabilities.
A Digital Culture Issue
Social media and online platforms can isolate young people, intensifying emotional vulnerability and creating opportunities for exploitation.
An Identity & Inclusion Issue
Historic and systemic patterns of marginalization normalize violence and exploitation against minority communities, leaving them disproportionately at risk.
A Violence Issue
Without social-emotional learning, boys and men are vulnerable to harmful ideologies that equate power with control. Prevention means equipping them instead to foster justice, equity, and healthy relationships.
Learn more about our Education as Prevention approach.