Some indications that a person may be a victim of human trafficking include (especially in the case of women and children): Appearing malnourished. Showing signs of physical injuries and abuse. Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, and authority figures/law enforcement.
Sex and Labor Traffickers Make False Promises.
One of the most effective ways traffickers recruit victims is by making false promises. They may offer romantic involvement or a job opportunity. They may give the person a feeling of security, giving them hope for a better future.
There is no single profile of a trafficking victim. Victims of human trafficking can be anyone—regardless of race, color, national origin, disability, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, education level, or citizenship status.
Shows signs of physical or sexual abuse or signs of being restrained or tortured. Has few or no personal possessions. Has no control of finances or access to their ID or passport. Claims to be visiting, but has no knowledge of where they are staying.
Sexual exploitation and forced labour
The most common form of human trafficking detected by national authorities is trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Call federal law enforcement directly to report suspected human trafficking activity and get help: U.S. Department of Homeland Security at 1-866-347-2423 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, or submit a tip online at www.ice.gov/tips .
Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or text “Help” to 233722 or text “Info” to 233722.
Traffickers employ a variety of control tactics, the most common include physical and emotional abuse and threats, isolation from friends and family, and economic abuse. They make promises aimed at addressing the needs of their target in order to impose control.
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.
Labor trafficking most often begins with a simple job offer. It becomes trafficking when pay or working conditions are abusive and the worker cannot quit or complain because the boss is threatening them or exploiting their desperate economic circumstances.
As with domestic violence victims, if you think a patient is a victim of trafficking, you do not want to begin by asking directly if the person has been beaten or held against his/her will.
Traffickers motivated by profit take advantage of vulnerable individuals, ignoring the consequences of their actions on those lives. The trafficker's apparent lack of empathy or guilt and the ability to shut the self off from the impact of their actions is not unlike some of the noted characteristics of a psychopath.
Traffickers in the United States exploit people with little or no social safety net. They look to individuals in vulnerable situations due to economic hardship, immigration status, political instability, natural disasters and other causes.
In the United States, individuals vulnerable to human trafficking include children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, including foster care; runaway and homeless youth; unaccompanied foreign national children without lawful immigration status; individuals seeking asylum; American Indians and Alaska ...
Instead, human trafficking is fueled by a demand for cheap labor, services, and for commercial sex. Human traffickers are those who employ force, fraud, or coercion to victimize others in their desire to profit from the existing demand.
Victims of human trafficking can be young children, teenagers, men and women. They can be U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) or foreign nationals, and they can be found in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
In the first stage, the victims are recruited; in the second, they are transported; and in the third, they are exploited. At the recruitment stage, criminals use many methods to force or trick people into being trafficked.