Victims frequently fall prey to traffickers who lure them in with an offer of food, clothes, attention, friendship, love, and a seemingly safe place to sleep.
They may pose as a boyfriend and use romance to prey upon a young person's vulnerability. They may use violence or physical threats. They may offer business transactions or offers to make fast and easy money. Victims are often recruited by someone they know.
Traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to subject victims to engage in commercial sex or forced labor. Anyone can be a victim of trafficking anywhere, including in the United States. Force includes physical restraint, physical harm, sexual assault, and beatings.
Sex traffickers target children because of their vulnerability and gullibility, as well as the market demand for young victims. Those who recruit minors into prostitution violate federal anti-trafficking laws, even if there is no coercion or movement across state lines.
Signs that a child has been trafficked may not be obvious, but could include: rarely leaving the house. having no time to play. living apart from family or having limited social contact with friends, family and the community.
Someone may be experiencing labor trafficking or exploitation if they: Feel pressured by their employer to stay in a job or situation they want to leave. Owe money to an employer or recruiter or are not being paid what they were promised or are owed. Do not have control of their passport or other identity documents.
Identification documents are held by another. Person works long or excessive hours or is always available “on demand.” Overly sexual for age or situation. Multiple phones or social media accounts.
Traffickers are adept at identifying people with noticeable vulnerabilities or needs. They may scour specific locations such as bus stations, shelters, or local malls looking for someone without a safe place to stay or who they may be able to charm with their flattery and attention.
Tactic 1: Dehumanization
From the viewpoint of traffickers, victims are little more than commodities. Traffickers constantly tell victims that they're worthless, insignificant and forgotten. Victims are exposed to high levels of emotional distress induced by constant threats, fear, and psychological abuse.
According to evidence, traffickers will use drugs, force, or emotional and financial tactics in order to lure in and control their victims. They will often try to form strong bonds with these girls by claiming that they love or need them, saying that these sex acts will allow a good future with the trafficker.
But as is the case in many crimes of exploitation and abuse, human traffickers often prey upon members of marginalized communities and other vulnerable individuals, including children in the child welfare system or children in the child welfare system or children who have been involved in the juvenile justice system; ...
Pimps/traffickers often exhibit the following behaviors or characteristics: Jealous, controlling and violent. Significantly older than female companions. Promise things that seem too good to be true.
Suggested Screening Questions
Can you leave your job or situation if you want? Can you come and go as you please? Have you been threatened if you try to leave? Have you been physically harmed in any way?
This recruitment can happen in public places such as malls or sporting events, as well as online, through social media sites, or through false advertisements or promises about job opportunities that might appeal to young people, such as modeling or acting.
Age of victims (IOM only)
The average age for IOM registered victims of trafficking is 27, and half of all victims are aged between 19 and 33. There is a slight spike in age at 0 and 1 years of age- this is because of the number of children who are born into trafficking.
Africa and the Middle East
In recent years, trafficking has been most prevalent in African countries like Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Eritrea, and the Central African Republics. In the CAR, young women can be coerced into marriages that force them into domestic servitude and sexual slavery.
Goatley said several factors that place children at more risk for recruitment are a history of sexual abuse, witnessing or experiencing physical abuse, a pattern of runaways or throwaways (parents kicking the child out of the home) or children with histories in foster care/juvenile detention.
They may exhibit submissive behavior, such as poor posture, downcast eyes, lack of eye contact, lack of facial expressions, and may be easily startled. They may look to their trafficker to speak on their behalf, and may be unresponsive to attempts to communicate with them when they are alone.
Due to their potentially unstable living situations, physical distance from friends and family, traumatic experiences, and emotional vulnerability, children involved with child welfare are at risk for being targeted by traffickers who are actively seeking victims to exploit.