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5.0 Coercion



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Human Trafficking Training
Lesson Five: Coercion


"Traffickers will damage their victims

to the point where they feel scared, lost,

and hopeless and rather than risk being

beaten or death, they do what the

trafficker wants them to do. "



What is Coercion?


The Use of Coercion
Coercion is defined as the"use of force or intimidation to obtain compliance." For traffickers, this means instilling fear inside of their victim in order to get them to do what they want by using all forms of abuse such as physical, mental, and psychological abuse. Traffickers may threaten to beat or kill their victim, unless the victim does what they want. Traffickers will damage their victims to the point where they feel scared, lost, and hopeless and rather than risk being beaten or death, they do what the trafficker wants them to do.

How Traffickers Use Coercion as a Means to Control Their Victim

Traffickers specifically seek out what are known as “unaccompanied minors” because they are easier to manipulate into a situation where the trafficker is in total “control.” This could mean manipulating them into getting their victim into their car so there is no escape or trapping them behind a locked door. Once the victim is out of the public’s sight, the trafficker is more easily able to threaten and beat his victim.



Types of Abuse

Physical Abuse

  • Hitting

  • Slapping

  • Burning skin

  • Tearing off skin

  • Rape

  • Forced to perform sexual acts



 Mental Abuse

  • Telling victim they are stupid and dumb

  • Telling victim they are worthless
  • Belittling them

Psychological Abuse

  • Brainwashing their victim into thinking they love them

  • Telling their victim they are a “family”

  • Telling their victim if they leave they will kill their mom, dad, brother, sister

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