Human Trafficking FAQ.
During human trafficking trainings or in sessions you may have attended on identifying human trafficking victims, you may have heard how important it is to ask the right questions and look for clues. You are vital because you may be the only outsider with the opportunity to speak with a victim...
There are safe housing, health, food, income, employment and interpretation services available to human trafficking survivors, but first they must be found. Now, we are not promoting that you go out looking.... but in our congregations, or in other settings we may encounter situations where asking a question could make a significant difference.
01
What is Human Trafficking?
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Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. It involves the exploitation of persons for commercial sex or forced labor. Victims may be illegal immigrants, legal immigrants, or U.S. citizens (homeless, substance-addicted persons, or teenage runaways. It can involve crossing an international border but does not require moving a victim.
Traffickers use FORCE, FRAUD, or COERCION to control their victims.
02
Where are people trafficked from?

Various work environments can set the stage for trafficking.
What are some of these environments? They can range from prostitution to exotic dancing- agricultural work- landscape work- domestic work and child care ("domestic servitude")- factory work- personal sexual exploitation- begging/street peddling- restaurant work- construction work- carnival work- hotel housekeeping- criminal activities and day labor.
03
How to recognize a victim of trafficking.

Often there is evidence of being controlled; Evidence of inability to move or leave a job; Bruises or other signs of physical abuse; Fear or depression; Not speaking on own behalf and/or non-English speaking; No passport or other form of identification or documentation.
04
Questions that might help to identify a victim.
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What type of work do yo do?
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Are you being paid?
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Can you leave your job if you want to?
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Can you come and go as you please?
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Have you or your family been threatened?
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What are your working and living conditions like?
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Where do yo sleep?
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Do you have to ask permission to eat/sleep/go to the bathroom?
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Are there locks on the doors/windows so you cannot get out?
05
Who do I call? Report a tip.
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From the Polaris Project website...
If you believe you are a victim of human trafficking or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, please contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC).
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911.
Call the Hotline
The easiest and fastest way to reach us is to call our hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text BeFree(233733). Hotline Call Specialists are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to take reports from anywhere in the country related to potential trafficking victims, suspicious behaviors, and/or locations where trafficking is suspected to occur. All reports are confidential. Interpreters are available.
Submit a Tip Online
The information you submit will be reviewed by the NHTRC and forwarded to specialized law enforcement and/or services providers where appropriate. For immediate assistance or to speak directly with an NHTRC Call Specialist, please contact us through the 24-hour hotline.