Human Trafficking

If you or someone you know needs help, here is the U.S. national hotline: 1 (888) 373-7888

• Legal definition: Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide – including right here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations.

• Human trafficking is rampant in the U.S. and it happens everywhere and in many different industries

• Modern form of slavery

• Different types of human trafficking: forced labor, sex trafficking, debt bondage, child sex trafficking...

• There are hotspots for trafficking

• Traffickers are part of a transnational criminal enterprise, which drags the victims into exploitation and enslavement

• Victims are forced to move, work, and sleep every day

• Legislation in one state help other states’ victims

• Blue Heart Campaign: supports trafficking victims

• Kids are trafficked (youth are highly vulnerable)

• Women and girls are about 80% of those trafficked

• Yearly, about a million children are trafficked

• Law enforcement often mistakes victims for traffickers

• Traffickers often go free while there is no justice for survivors

• Victims are very traumatized

• often, victims don’t have ID

• LGBTQ+ people are at higher risk, especially if kicked out

• Traffickers make victims believe they are not cared about and all alone

• People who are sex trafficked are likely to have a shorter life expectancy

• Labor trafficking accounts for 81% of human trafficking (including the chocolate trade)

• There are signs of human trafficking, like controlled movement, not knowing their address, no access to earnings, limited or no social interaction, and more