Human sex trafficking is a 150-billion-dollar industry.
Many victims of sex trafficking are hidden in plain sight.
Sex trafficking is one of the most pressing human rights issues in our world today. Defined as “forcing an individual to perform a commercial sex act through force, fraud, or coercion,” human sex trafficking is a 150-billion-dollar industry that preys upon our society’s most vulnerable. And it’s happening in our backyards.
However, do you know the signs?
Who Is Vulnerable to Becoming a Victim of Human Sex Trafficking?
While anyone can be targeted for sex trafficking, society’s most vulnerable populations, including children, teenagers, runaways, migrants, refugees, and marginalized groups, are most at risk of becoming victims. What these groups have in common is that they are vulnerable to being controlled and exploited.
In fact, according to a report from the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children, 1 in 3 runaway or homeless children are approached by traffickers within 48 hours.
Sex traffickers gain control over vulnerable populations by promising them money, housing, drugs, stability, and even love. However, victims are instead forced into committing commercial sex acts. When they try to leave, they are often threatened or beaten and prevented from escaping.
What Are Signs That Someone Is a Sex Trafficking Victim?
Victims of human sex trafficking are everywhere. While some victims may be kept behind locked doors, many are hidden in plain sight. Hotels, salons, massage parlors, airports, gas stations, etc., are places where you might encounter a sex trafficking victim.
However, since traffickers use coercion tactics, like physical violence and threats to loved ones, to keep their victims from running away, victims are often fearful and hesitant to accept help.
Knowing the signs that may indicate someone is being trafficked and knowing what to do can help you take action if you feel like something is wrong.
The signs that someone might be a victim of sex trafficking include:
- Acting fearful or submissive
- Showing signs of physical abuse, like bruising
- Answers or speech feels scripted
- A child or teenager is with an adult they seem scared of
- An adult is using physical force on a child or teenager
- A child or teenager is being accompanied by a group of adults
What Can You Do if You Notice Signs That Someone Might Be a Victim of Sex Trafficking?
If you believe you’ve encountered someone who might be a victim of human trafficking, it’s important to act appropriately. You don’t want to alert the traffickers that you know what’s going on.
Instead, try to gain access to the victim alone so that you can ask them the following questions:
- Are you free to leave?
- Are you being hurt or threatened?
- Is someone threatening your family?
- Is someone holding your passport?
If you can’t gain access to the victim alone, it’s critical to reach out to authorities as soon as possible. In certain situations, it may be unsafe to attempt to try to speak with the victim alone.
Call 911 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.