#Deep link to this FAQ question
Relationships are complicated. It’s not always easy to tell when a relationship shifts from being healthy to unhealthy or abusive.
“I think it [sex trafficking] mirrors so beautifully a normal healthy relationship until it doesn’t, right? That normalization is exactly what works.”- Advocate, Anti-Human Trafficking Services with Covenant House
Survivors told us not knowing what a healthy relationship looked like made them vulnerable to being trafficked. It also affected their ability to leave once trafficked.
“. . . I don’t think any of us, especially if we didn’t grow up with a healthy relationship around us, really know what that is . . . I think you’re vulnerable to it because either you weren’t educated about it or you didn’t see it growing up.” - Survivor
There are ways adults can help children build and nurture healthy relationships throughout their lives, including:
- Modelling positive relationship behaviour
- Having conversations around consent
- Setting boundaries and resolving conflicts