Protection starts with awareness. Through training and community engagement, we equip youth, caregivers, and professionals to understand the realities of human trafficking, recognize the signs, and take meaningful action to keep children safe.

Human Trafficking

What is Human Trafficking?

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 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.

Signs of Sex Trafficking:

Person seems overly fearful, submissive, tense, or paranoid
Person is deferring to another person before giving information
Person has physical injuries or branding such as tattoos of someone else’s name, “Property of” tattoos, money signs, barcodes, etc.
Clothing is inappropriately sexual or inappropriate for the weather
Minor is unaccompanied at night or falters in giving an explanation of who they are with and what they are doing
Identification documents are held by another person
Person works long or excessive hours or is always available on demand
Overly sexual for age or situation
Multiple phones or social media accounts
Signs of unusual wealth without explanation - new jewelry, shoes, phones without any known form of income
Person is not free to come and go as they please

Signs of Labor Trafficking:

Worker is not free to leave premises
Worker lives at their place of business
Worker is transported to the location by the owner or manager and all workers arrive and leave at the same time
Worker has excessively long and/or unusual hours or is always available on demand
Worker owes a large debt that is continually increasing and cannot be paid off
Workplace has high security features such as opaque windows, barred windows, locks outside doors
Worker seems to be deferring to another person before giving information, avoids eye contact, or isn’t allowed to speak for their self
Goods or services are priced below general market rates
Someone else controls the worker’s identification documents and finances

Signs of Human Trafficking Specific to Children & Teens:

Spend a lot of time doing household chores
Rarely leave their house or have no time for playing
Living apart from their family
Live in low-standard situations
Unsure which country, city, or town they're in
Can't (or are reluctant to) share personal information or information about where they live
Not registered with a school
Have no access to their parents or guardians
Seen in inappropriate places like brothels or factories
Have money or things not expected of them to have - jewelry, large amounts of money, lingerie, brand name items, etc.
Have injuries from workplace accidents
Give a prepared story which is very similar to stories given by other children