Every day thousands of Cambodians go to Thailand in search of a better life. They hope to earn enough money to buy food for more than one meal at a time, to purchase medicine for their loved ones, or maybe even to afford running water. Sadly, a quarter of them will be exploited—falling prey to labor and sex trafficking. Some make it out alive. Most are never heard from again. Of the estimated 27 million trafficking victims in the world today, only 1-2 percent will be rescued. Thus, prevention is key.

This excerpt, taken from Samaritan’s Purse, identifies the problems that occur in so many countries, leaving the people more susceptible to human trafficking. This reasoning has lead nonprofits, such as Samaritan’s Purse, to combat human trafficking using an upstream poverty alleviation tactic. This is the idea that when people are able to support their families and have access to food and clean water, as well as knowledge as to keep themselves safe, they are much less likely to be trafficked.

The combination of knowledge and economic tools equips people to protect themselves and rise above what can seem an endless cycle of poverty and despair. When people have access to the basics—food, water, shelter, education, health care—they are less likely to take a chance on unsafe migration.

What do you think? Do you believe that this is a viable strategy to combatting the horrors of human trafficking? How do you think this idea can be incorporated in order to both prevent future trafficking as well as aide those who are currently being abused?