Victim identification involves the detailed analysis of images and videos to locate and rescue child sexual abuse victims. Online child sexual abuse is one of the rare crime areas where police officers start with the evidence and work their way back to the crime scene.
Victims should be identified as such and offered protection, assistance and support, even if law enforcement officials decide that there is insufficient evidence to mount a successful prosecution or the trafficker cannot be identified or located.
Identifying victims of human trafficking can be difficult because traffickers often isolate victims from their families, communities, and the public. Victims are sometimes kept locked behind closed doors. Victims of human trafficking can also be hidden in plain sight.
While boys and men are victims as well, most individuals identified as trafficked for both labor and commercial sex are women and girls. For every 10 victims detected globally, five are adult women and two are girls, according to a report released in 2021 by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (PDF, 18MB).
Many sex traffickers lure victims by providing basic survival needs. They systematically provide distorted versions of higher needs to manipulate victims. Using threats, force and coercion, traffickers exploit the fact that, for many victims, “the life” may be their first experience of 'family' and belonging.
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.
Traffickers often look for people who are desperate and in need of money. They might also target lonely individuals who are more likely to trust strangers and be influenced by them. They often approach their victims at bus stops, train stations, or the street. In exchange for work, they may offer food or shelter.
The main task of forensic professionals involved in mass disasters is victim identification, whether injured, dead, or buried in mass graves. The identification process involves comparing and matching the DNA profiles of the victims to antemortem items or living families.
Theoretical victimology is the study of crime victims, their characteristics, their relationship to and their interactions with their victimizers, their role, and their contribution to the genesis of the crime.
"Victims" means persons who, individually or collectively, have suffered harm, including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering, economic loss or substantial impairment of their fundamental rights, through acts or omissions that are in violation of criminal laws operative within Member States, including those ...
IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES COVERED INCLUDE THE USE OF COMPOSITES, VOICEPRINTS, ODONTOLOGY, SKELETAL AND EAR IDENTIFICATION, AND FINGER, PALM, AND FOOT PRINTS. A LARGE PORTION OF THE BOOK IS DEVOTED TO THE LAST THREE METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION.
Identification evidence is used by the prosecution in a criminal trial to identify the person who is alleged to have committed a crime. There are different types of identification evidence, including visual identification evidence, fingerprint evidence and DNA evidence.
The police generally use at least five fillers. Fillers are selected for their physical similarities to the suspect (gender, race, hair length and color, facial hair, height, skin tone, and other distinguishing features). The fillers are presumed to be unknown to the witness.
Typically seen in flashy clothing, jewelry, and cars, this pimp generally flaunts their wealth and is often seen utilizing force to control the victim. Gorilla pimps often use money and drugs to lure their victims and extort women already in unstable situations.
Pimp “breaks” the victim by letting her know he's dangerous– beating, raping, yelling, showing weapons, etc. He threatens to hurt her and her loved ones. Control & Isolation: Pimp keeps the victim close and makes her dependent by calling constantly, moving her in, taking money away, monitoring her moves, etc.
Traffickers will then target and recruit their victims by appearing to offer help or pretending to be a friend or potential romantic partner. They take advantage of their victims' vulnerabilities and coerce them into meeting in person.
Human traffickers are motivated by greed, driven by quota, lack respect for human rights, prey upon the vulnerable, and damage their victims' psychological and physical well-being.
Be careful about posting too much personal information online and do not trust "friendly" strangers on social media that know too much about you or say just the right thing. Stay vigilant and don't "look" like easy prey. Traffickers go after those they perceive as vulnerable and meek.
Children are targets for human traffickers because of the vulnerability that they possess, giving traffickers the ability to manipulate them with empty promises, romantic relationships, or gifts. Human traffickers see children as vulnerable and easy to manipulate, especially if that child has low self-esteem.
Children account for half of the victims of human trafficking. In fact, the average age that a young person becomes involved in sex trafficking is 12 years old.
Traffickers can be foreign nationals or U.S. citizens, family members, partners, acquaintances, and strangers. They can act alone or as part of an organized criminal enterprise. People often incorrectly assume that all traffickers are males; however, the United States has prosecuted cases against women traffickers.