Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no specific kind of trafficker(s). They can be any gender, age, or race. Some examples can be:
“Pimps” or a romantic partner
Employers or other professionals
Community leaders or people of prominence
Family members
Friends or peers
Strangers
Connected by mutual friends
SOCIAL MEDIA, ONLINE, AND DATING APPS: Targeting youth and children online has become an increasingly common tactic among traffickers. They will look for vulnerable young people who are receptive to their advances.
POPULAR MEETING PLACES: Locations where youth and children may frequent such as malls, parks, concerts, community centers, public transit centers, house gatherings, etc.
SCHOOLS: To potentially identify and intersect vulnerable students. Peer-to-peer recruitment may take place in schools. This is when traffickers coerce or force their victims into recruiting their peers with promises of more payment, better status, or less abuse.
GROUP HOMES, DETENTION CENTERS, SHELTERS, AND FOSTER CARE HOMES: Traffickers know that individuals at these locations are experiencing hardship and they can play to those challenges by offering financial or emotional support to gain trust.
You should first scream “stranger, don’t grab me!” or anything else that has the word stranger in it. Make a lot of noise so that others around you take notice and understand what is happening and realize that that is not your parent or relative. You should bite, scream, kick, and yell to get yourself free from the abductor. Run away and seek adult guidance, assistance, and help.
DO:
Keep yourself safe.
Express concern for their safety and well-being.
Ask questions about their working and living conditions such as if they have the freedom to move, and/or access to their travel documents or identification.
Communicate that you care about their safety and that they do not deserve to be hurt.
Tell them good things about themselves since their abuser may be tearing down their self-esteem.
Take mental notes about specific things such as license plates, car make/model, clothes, stores, tattoos, piercings, hair, and eyes.
Respect their choices.
Be patient and go at their pace, not yours.
DO NOT:
Do not accuse, diagnose, or judge their choices.
Do not draw conclusions about what they may be experiencing or feeling.
Do not judge or criticize their abuser.
Do not pressure them to leave the trafficker or abusive relationship.
Do not be an expert at directing them in what to do.
Do not try to provide counseling or advice, but instead connect them to trained professionals who can help.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Human Trafficking Knowledge Test - Google Form