How can i recognize trafficking victims

If you believe you have identified someone still in the trafficking situation, alert law enforcement immediately at the numbers provided below. It may be unsafe to attempt to rescue a trafficking victim. You have no way of knowing how the trafficker may react and retaliate against the victim and you.

If, however, you identify a victim who has escaped the trafficking situation, there are a number of organizations to whom the victim could be referred for help with shelter, medical care, legal assistance, and other critical services. In this case, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline described below. For urgent situations, notify local law enforcement immediately by calling You may also want to alert the National Human Trafficking Hotline described below so that they can ensure response by law enforcement officials knowledgeable about human trafficking.

Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline, a national hour, toll-free, multilingual anti-trafficking hotline. Call to report a tip; connect with anti-trafficking services in your area; or request training and technical assistance, general information, or specific anti-trafficking resources.

A human trafficking victim may develop a mindset of fear, distrust, denial, and conflicting loyalties. Foreign victims of trafficking are often fearful of being deported or jailed and, therefore, they may distrust authority figures, particularly law enforcement and government officials. Similarly, traffickers may convince sex trafficking victims who are U. Being able to recognize the psychological and emotional consequences of human trafficking can also be helpful in identifying victims.

Victims often:. While not all victims of trafficking have physical indicators that aid identification, many victims suffer serious health issues, some of which may include the following:.

If you think you have come into contact with a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1.

The NHTRC can help you identify and coordinate with local organizations that protect and serve trafficking victims. Office on Trafficking in Persons. Click to expand menu. Click to expand search. About Expand. What Is Human Trafficking? Myths and Facts About Human Trafficking. Contact OTIP. Victim Assistance Expand. Traffickers recognize and take advantage of people who are vulnerable.

Who Are the Traffickers There is no evidence that traffickers are more likely to be of a particular race, nationality, gender, or sexual orientation. They may be family members, romantic partners, acquaintances, or strangers.

How Traffickers Lure People In Stories become weapons in the hands of human traffickers — tales of romantic love everlasting or about good jobs and fair wages just over the horizon. Sometimes, the stories themselves raise red flags. Other times, traffickers or potential traffickers may raise red flags during recruitment. Recognizing Labor Trafficking Labor trafficking includes situations where men, women, and children are forced to work because of debt, immigration status, threats and violence.

Keeping victims isolated — physically or emotionally — is a key method of control in most labor trafficking situations. But that does not mean you never cross paths with someone who is experiencing trafficking.

Recognizing Sex Trafficking Sex trafficking occurs when individuals are made to perform commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.

Any child under 18 who is involved in commercial sex is legally a victim of trafficking, regardless of whether there is a third party involved. If you believe you are a victim of human trafficking or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, please contact the U.