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Trafficking Victims

Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide, and between 14,500 and 17,500 of those victims are trafficked into the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of State. These estimates include women, men and children. Victims are generally trafficked into the U.S. from Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. Many victims trafficked into the United States do not speak and understand English and are therefore isolated and unable to communicate with service providers, law enforcement and others who might be able to help them.

Referral Hotline 1.888.373.7888

How Victims are Trafficked

Many victims of trafficking are exploited for purposes of commercial sex, including prostitution, stripping, pornography and live-sex shows. However, trafficking also takes place as labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude, sweatshop factories, or migrant agricultural work. Traffickers use force, fraud and coercion to compel women, men and children to engage in these activities.

Force involves the use of rape, beatings and confinement to control victims. Forceful violence is used especially during the early stages of victimization, known as the ‘seasoning process’, which is used to break victim’s resistance to make them easier to control.

Fraud often involves false offers that induce people into trafficking situations. For example, women and children will reply to advertisements promising jobs as waitresses, maids and dancers in other countries and are then trafficked for purposes of prostitution once they arrive at their destinations.

Coercion involves threats of serious harm to, or physical restraint of, any person; any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.

Trafficking Information

Victims of trafficking are often subjected to debt-bondage, usually in the context of paying off transportation fees into the destination countries. Traffickers often threaten victims with injury or death, or the safety of the victims´ family back home. Traffickers commonly take away the victims´ travel documents and isolate them to make escape more difficult.

Victims do not realize that their debts are often legally unenforceable and, in any event, that it is illegal for traffickers to dictate how they have to pay off their debts. In many cases, the victims are trapped into a cycle of debt because they have to pay for all living expenses in addition to the initial transportation expenses. Fines for not meeting daily quotas of service or “bad” behavior are also used by some trafficking operations to increase debt. Most trafficked victims rarely see the money they are supposedly earning and may not even know the specific amount of their debt. Even if the victims sense that debt-bondage is unjust, it is difficult for them to find help because of language, social, and physical barriers that keep them from obtaining assistance.

Trafficking vs. Smuggling

Human Trafficking	Migrant Smuggling
Victims either do not consent to their situations, or if they initially consent, that consent is rendered meaningless by the actions of the traffickers.	Migrant smuggling includes those who consent to being smuggled.
Ongoing exploitation of victims to generate illicit profits for the traffickers.	Smuggling is a breach of the integrity of a nation´s borders.
Trafficking need not entail the physical movement of a person (but must entail the exploitation of the person for labor or commercial sex).	Smuggling is always transnational.

↑ 1 – ″Exploitation″ – rather than trafficking – may be a more accurate description because the crime involves making people perform labor or commercial sex against their will.

↑ 2 – As defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the term ′commercial sex act′ means any sex act, on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person.

Human Trafficking Statistics

• After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today, and it is the fastest growing (Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement)
• It is estimated that 800,000 people are trafficked internationally every year (U.S. State Department)
• It is estimated that 14,000-17,000 people are trafficked into the United States every year from other countries (U.S. State Department)
• It is estimated that 50% of trafficking victims internationally are children (U.S. Dept. of Justice)
• 80% of victims are female (U.S. State Department)
• 13 is the average age of first being prostituted and trafficked in the commercial sex industry in the United States. (Polaris Project)
• 244,000-325,000 American children and youth are at risk for sexual exploitation and sex trafficking every year. (University of Pennsylvania)

How to Identify a Human Trafficking Victim

Source: USCCB

These are some red flags:

•  Seems anxious, fearful or paranoid.  Avoids eye contact.

• Tearfulness or signs of depression.

• Unexplained bruises or cuts or other signs of physical abuse.

• Appears to be in a relationship with someone who is dominating.

• Never is alone and/or always has someone translating or answering questions on their behalf.

• Not in control of their own finances.

• Presents with secrecy or unable to answer questions about where they live.

• Inconsistent details when telling their story.

• Has no identification such as a license, passport or other ID documents.

• Inability to leave their job or residence.  Says they cannot schedule appointments.

• Being a recent arrival to the United States and does not speak English.

• Is under 18 and providing commercial sex acts.  Or at any age unwillingly providing commercial sex acts.

• Is afraid of law enforcement or receiving help from an outside entity.

If you can find an opportunity to get he/she alone, ask him/her the following screening questions:

•  Can you leave your job or house when you want?

• Where did you get those bruises or is anyone hurting you?

• Do you get paid for your employment?  Is it fair?  How many hours do you work?

• (If foreign national) How did you get to the U.S. and is it what you expected?  Are you being forced to do anything you don’t want to do?

• Are you or your family being threatened?

• Do you live with or near your employer?  Does your employer provide you housing?  Are there locks on doors or windows from outside?

• Do you owe debt to anyone?

If you suspect they are a victim of human trafficking,take the following actions:

• Ask the person if you can help them find a safe place to go immediately.

•  If they need time, create an action plan with them to get to a safe place when they are ready.

•  Call and make a report to the human trafficking hotline at 1.888.3737.888.  The hotline has language capabilities, so any individual can call directly if they choose.

•  If you need more guidance, you can call and talk through the case with USCCB Anti-trafficking program staff at 202.541.3357.

Child Trafficking

Source: USCCB

What is Child Trafficking?

Additional Resources:

USCCB – Human Trafficking

Not For Sale:  End Human Trafficking