Frequently, the traffickers are of the same ethnicity as their victims. They may make this part of their entrapment tactics. Many tactics are to trap people in slavery. They might target people that don't know the native language, get a person addicted to drugs, blackmail them, or threaten their family. Promised a job and wealth, many of the victims believe they cannot be helped, and many don't realize there is help.
There are an estimated 20.9 million victims of human trafficking each year. An estimated 55% of these victims are women and children. Many of them have no way out, and some can't get legal help for a wide variety of reasons, leaving many victims permanently trapped in a vicious cycle.
Men, women, and chilrden being sold as slaves frequently don't believe they have a way out. Most are victims of abuse, and many, especially women and children, become sex slaves. In the United States, many trafficking victims are forced into prostitution, leading dangerous lives and existing at the mercy of their captors.