January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and the Administration for Children & Families theme for this year’s observation is: Connecting the Dots. Strengthening Communities. Preventing Trafficking. Human trafficking is a pressing issue that affects thousands of people across the U.S., including Alabama’s most vulnerable youth. Just this week, hotel workers came to the aid of a teen who was about to be violated by a perpetrator. By recognizing the risk factors, strengthening support systems, and encouraging collaboration, everyone, from every industry, can take real steps toward prevention and protection.
The Reality of Child Trafficking in Alabama
Human trafficking is a hidden crisis, often operating in the shadows of our communities, from our bustling city centers and quiet suburbs to our pastoral countryside towns. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Alabama identified 87 trafficking cases in 2020, affecting 136 victims—including 19 minors. These numbers are from 2020; as we have entered 2025, the latest numbers are not yet published. Jan Bell, Program Director of our Child Trafficking Solutions Project, wants people to bear in mind that these “stats don’t accurately reflect the true rate of incidents (for a lot of reasons) and at face value don’t portray the level of this crisis nor its growing rate.”
While sex trafficking remains the most common form, labor trafficking is also of great concern. Vulnerable youth, particularly those in foster care or experiencing homelessness, are among the highest at risk.
Key risk factors include:
- Frequent relocation: Youth in unstable housing situations often lack the resources and support needed to avoid predatory situations.
- “Aging out” of foster care: Without strong adult connections when youth exit foster care, young people in survival mode can easily become ensnared in some form of sex or labor trafficking.
- Economic hardship: Many traffickers exploit people experiencing financial instability, coercing victims into labor or sex trafficking situations.
The Undeniable Link Between Foster Care and Trafficking
Youth in foster care runaway more frequently than their peers, and according to reports youth who run from foster care placements are more likely than other youth in foster care to experience sex trafficking during runaway episodes. In Alabama, our extended foster care programs help mitigate risk by allowing youth to remain in care until age 21, which certainly helps, but even at age 21, when you don’t have a parent to call on for help or advice, this gap in support leaves many vulnerable. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Youth in Transitions report (2023), 56% of Alabama’s youth exited care without “permanency”—a connection to a trusted adult through reunification with birth family, adoption, or some form of guardianship.
Programs like Independent Living (IL) provide youth with essential resources, such as:
- Housing support (FYI housing)
- Mentorship, life skills development, and connection through group home visits, county Dream Council meetings, and the IL app
- Increasing awareness and access to education and vocational opportunities (Fostering Hope Scholarship and ETV funds)
Equipping foster youth with stability and skills, significantly reduces the chances of them falling prey to traffickers.
Project Independence: Safe Harbor for Unhoused Young Mothers and their Children
The National Network for Youth reports that 1 in 5 youth experiencing homelessness have been trafficked, inclusive of sex and labor trafficking. For a moment, picture yourself as a young mother with a child, or as a pregnant teen with no one to turn to while also being unhoused. What added fear and uncertainty would you feel as you try to survive from day to day? Traffickers prey on these feelings of helplessness; thus, mothers facing homelessness and their children are particularly vulnerable to trafficking. Project Independence (PI) works to break this cycle by offering safe housing, mentorship, essential life skills training, and connection to resources that empower them to reclaim their lives. A PI mom shared:
I’m thankful to have found out about this program because without it I would have never been able to get my kids a place to stay or our social security and medical cards…I never thought I would be able to get my high school diploma, but I’m thankful that I was able to accomplish that through the help of you all and this program. I never thought I would be able to get myself together and have help with childcare so I can accomplish all my GOALS. I’m also thankful that I have you all by my side and that you all are helping me change my future for the better, and you all helped me through my hard times and stayed by my side. You’re always there for me, and I love you all for that. I’m hopeful.
Ensuring young mothers have a safe environment and access to tools that build hope and create pathways to long-term stability can help prevent trafficking before it happens.
Adoption as a Link to Permanency
For children and teens in foster care for whom birth parents have relinquished their parental rights, adoption provides stability and permanence. Our Alabama Pre/Post Adoption Connections (APAC) program actively recruits adoptive families to provide safe, loving homes for youth who may otherwise face the world alone. APAC operates statewide, and there is an urgent and ever-present need for loving, forever families. APAC’s services are free of cost, and they extend throughout the entire lifelong journey of adoption. Knowing you have a family you can lean on to help you in times of need adds a sense of security; belonging reinforces a young person’s identity, helping to build confidence and thrive.
How You Can Help
Preventing trafficking requires a united effort. The Child Trafficking Solutions Project (CTSP) is leading initiatives statewide to combat trafficking by working with Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs), law enforcement, social workers, and community advocates. This morning, January 31, 2025, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced their partnership with CTSP to combat trafficking. Community groups, schools, law enforcement agencies, health care professionals, and concerned citizens from all walks of life are invited to contact CTSP and join this growing movement to protect Alabama’s children.
You can also connect with Project Independence. PI is happy to work with women in the community who will serve as mentors. They are also eager to partner with workforce development programs and programs to help PI moms reach their educational goals.
Support APAC; consider adopting a child with their free resources and expert guidance. The team recruits for their free Adoption Prep Classes year-round; sign up to learn more. You can also invite the team to speak to your community group or place of worship or simply display a flyer in your workplace to help us bring more children home in 2025.
Advocate for stronger policies and programs that help our youth. CTSP, IL, PI, and APAC are part of the solution; partner with us to create safer communities. Every child deserves safety, stability, and a future free from exploitation. By connecting the dots between foster care, adoption, housing support, and education, we strengthen Alabama’s communities and prevent trafficking before it starts. Contact us today.
Arema Granger
Marketing Communications Coordinator