Worldwide, children and adults of all genders, ages, immigration statuses and races are forced to perform many different types of work, including farm labor, domestic service, commercial sex work and restaurant and hospitality service, through threats, physical and sexual violence and psychological coercion.

Specifically, when this work is done for someone else’s economic gain, this is human trafficking. All these forms of trafficking exist in Maine. It’s time to come together to hold ourselves accountable for the well-being of all members of our community; to educate ourselves about what trafficking is; and learn how we can identify it and support survivors. This is how we can stop trafficking from happening in Maine.

For those of us who advocate on behalf of survivors, we describe human trafficking as a human rights issue. The root causes of trafficking go to the very structure of our communities and their well-being.

I find brightness in this idea, as it also means that communities share the power and responsibility to find collective solutions to address human trafficking. That together, we can address trafficking through strengthened pathways to resources such as housing, food, clean water, education and economic justice. That together, we can create safety for our most vulnerable community members, including youth, immigrants and people experiencing homelessness, and those who have experienced trauma.

Only when we come together can we decide that to prevent human trafficking is to empower our communities to see the innate value in all people. The conditions that perpetuate trafficking are much bigger than the individual, yet it is the person being trafficked who shoulders the consequences.

When a person in our community doesn’t have access to basic needs like food or shelter, the risk of exploitation or trafficking increases. When working in unregulated environments, workers — both adults and youth — are at high risk of exploitation. When immigration pathways are limited, youth, adults and families seeking refuge from violence face an increased chance of experiencing all forms of harm and victimization, trafficking included.

The most common form of trafficking, both here in Maine and globally, is forced labor. Maine’s economy is deeply reliant on migrant workers for success. Agriculture, tourism and clean energy all rely on diverse pools of labor. These industries often have working environments that put people at risk of being trafficked.

Public health crises, such as the opioid epidemic, also make people more vulnerable.

Since its founding in 2013, Preble Street’s Anti-Trafficking Services has prioritized connecting survivors to wraparound resources, supporting survivors on their path to healing, safety and stability. Preble Street has worked with nearly 1,000 survivors, reaching people across the state.

Preble Street does not do this work in a vacuum. We rely on the community to wrap around one another, to ensure there are resources for legal services, immigration relief and health care, and to create environments where all people feel a sense of safety and justice. Preble Street’s anti-trafficking program, like so many of our community partners who are vital to protecting vulnerable people in our state, relies upon federal funding to ensure survivors have access to these needed resources. The risk of losing this funding puts survivors in immediate danger.

Trafficking is complex and often it is hard to identify if you or someone you know is experiencing it. One way we seek to connect with survivors is through a self-identification tool. Answering the questions on the tool, available at www.preblestreet.org, may help someone understand the situation they are in and what resources are available to help exit a trafficking victimization in a safe way.

On behalf of the resilient survivors that we work with, I’d like to ask you to advocate for policies that increase basic human rights, whether that’s a right to immigration pathways, housing, health care or food access. When we raise our voices to support policies that ensure that people can meet their needs, we are preventing other people from experiencing this trauma.