What Happens After the Rescue?

Do you remember the feeling when you read a human trafficking sign in the airport restroom?

The sign asks questions like, “Are you being forced to work against your will?” and “Are you hurt, threatened, or being kept from leaving?” Further down, it says, “You are not alone. Help is available…Call 1-888-373-7888…Text HELP to BeFree” (Department of Homeland Security).

Perhaps you read a few of the lines but felt anxious because the door wouldn’t lock and you only had 20 minutes to get to your gate on time.

Or you were confused because you didn’t understand it and thought it had nothing to do with you.

Or you nodded, prayed, and felt a little positive because you volunteer at a faith-based organization (FBO) that helps survivors.

Or you felt an immediate wrenching pain in your body because you are a trafficking survivor.

Or maybe you are a victim and felt a mixture of numbness, fear, and distrust.

Or maybe you are the perpetrator and felt smug.

Statistics reveal there are approximately 27.6 million human trafficking victims worldwide, which is greater than the entire population of Australia (National Human Trafficking Hotline, 2025). Of these estimated totals, which may be far underestimated due to the secrecy surrounding trafficking, around 6.3 million represent sex trafficking victims.

But behind every number is a real person trying to survive unimaginable abuse.

Who Causes Harm?

It is tempting to imagine that perpetrators are always strangers or obvious criminals. Yet research reminds us that perpetrators can also be trusted adults, parents, ministers, or respected leaders (Knight et al., 2026).

While most of us will never commit such horrific acts, there is another uncomfortable question worth asking: When might our own beliefs, certainty, or even good intentions unintentionally contribute to someone else's suffering?

When Helping Hurts

In the United States, faith-based organizations (FBOs) that help fight sex trafficking with shelter and recovery make up a dominant channel of support, with 63 percent of shelters identifying as Christian-affiliated (Albert, 2025). According to Albert, survivors cite that the FBOs helped them gain a sense of belonging and spiritual community, along with self-forgiveness.

However, an extensive qualitative study by Knight et al. (2026) found that some faith-based services can hinder healing through retraumatizing judgments and condemnations, spiritual bypassing, religious trauma, discrimination, coercive practices, and approaches that diminish survivors' agency and self-forgiveness. Survivors also described harms associated with rigid religious interpretations, exclusion, and conditions placed on care or belonging.

This isn't an argument against faith or faith-based organizations. The lesson is something far more nuanced: Healing flourishes when faith is paired with humility, trauma-informed care, and respect for a survivor's agency. And that humility begins when we are willing to ask: Could my good intentions ever harm the person in front of me?

Because healing gets hindered when helping becomes:

• Spiritual bypassing—using faith to bypass grief, anger, trauma, or difficult emotions rather than processing them.
• Rigid judgment—assuming we know what healing "should" look like and who is worthy of compassion, belonging, or support.
• Loss of agency—making decisions for survivors, imposing beliefs or expectations, or overlooking their autonomy in the healing process.

The Sign We Become

The next time you notice one of those airport restroom signs, pause for just a moment. You may never know who stood in front of it before you.

• A survivor
• A volunteer
• A healthcare professional
• Someone who has never considered trafficking before
• Someone silently wondering if help is possible

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The Power of Walking Around the Block

Our first responsibility is to recognize suffering. Our second is to ensure that our efforts to help do not unintentionally deepen it.

Compassion isn't only about offering support. It's also about remaining curious enough to ask whether the support we offer truly helps the person standing before us.

The sign in the airport may point someone toward help. Our response may determine whether they feel safe enough to accept it.