Selena went out with her friends one night to a club. A man introduced himself and asked her to dance. He was very charming and the two of them immediately hit it off and he asked for her phone number so he could take her out on a proper date. For weeks she was showered with sweet loving text messages, flowers, gifts, and new clothes, she felt like she was in a dream and had found her perfect man, her soulmate. Then one night, after many lavish dates, he asked her to sleep with another man, she was aghast at his request and promptly refused. He became enraged, he hit her and told her she didn’t have a choice as he had bought her with all the gifts she had been given, and she needed to repay him, and this was the only way. He overpowered her, gave her drugs, and forced her to obey his orders. 



Over time this became the normal pattern between them. When she thought about leaving, he would threaten to hurt her or her family, making it hard for her to escape the escalating abuse. Her trafficker had control of where she would go, who she could meet, and even preventing her from continuing to work at her job. He had completely isolated her from her family and friends. One day they had an especially heated argument, and he locked her inside his car and closed all the windows during a very hot summer day. She passed out from the heat and her trafficker had to take her to the hospital. At the hospital, she was attended to by a case manager from Waymakers, who was able to guide her towards Radiant Futures. 

Global reports are increasingly highlighting the use of substances as a tool for trafficking. Traffickers exploit individuals’ addictions or introduce substances to manipulate and control their victims. For many survivors, substance use becomes a way to cope with the trauma of trafficking, creating a cycle of dependency that is difficult to escape. 

Trauma—especially in childhood or adolescence—can lead to long-term mental health challenges like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies reveal that up to two-thirds of individuals who cope with substance use have also experienced some form of trauma. This connection between substance use and human trafficking is both significant and far-reaching. 

Unfortunately, societal stigma surrounding addiction often prevents professionals—such as healthcare providers, law enforcement, and legal experts—from recognizing trafficking’s warning signs. When substance use is viewed in isolation, critical red flags are missed, leaving victims vulnerable. 



Traffickers further exploit this vulnerability by targeting individuals in treatment or detox facilities, using the threat of withdrawal—a painful and potentially life-threatening experience—as a means of control. Survivors are often coerced into commercial sex through these tactics, trapping them in a cycle of violence and dependency. High-profile cases in the U.S. have revealed how addiction is weaponized as a method of coercion, deepening survivors’ trauma while hindering their ability to seek help. 

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