"So often cars would slow down and people would yell, "You are a whore. This is no job for a girl like you." But they never stopped to ask if they could help me."
- Stefa, a Moldovan teenager trafficked into Italy
"With four children between them and a 16-year relationship, Mari couldn’t imagine leaving Darrell. She didn’t see any viable options, even though he was physically abusive and forced her into commercial sex when money was tight."
- PolarisProject.org
"Sarah met a kind and generous older guy after running away from a broken home. But once she moved in with this new boyfriend, he forced her into commercial sex to pay his rent."
"Sarah met a kind and generous older guy after running away from a broken home. But once she moved in with this new boyfriend, he forced her into commercial sex to pay his rent."
- PolarisProject.org
"There is not a consistent type or profile of a trafficking victim. Based on U.S. federal law, trafficked persons in the U.S. can be men or women, adults or children, and foreign nationals or U.S. citizens. Some are well-educated, while others have no formal education. Some immigrant victims are currently in the U.S. legally, and others are undocumented. Some form of vulnerability tends to be the common thread amongst all different trafficking victims.
"There is not a consistent type or profile of a trafficking victim. Based on U.S. federal law, trafficked persons in the U.S. can be men or women, adults or children, and foreign nationals or U.S. citizens. Some are well-educated, while others have no formal education. Some immigrant victims are currently in the U.S. legally, and others are undocumented. Some form of vulnerability tends to be the common thread amongst all different trafficking victims.
Trafficking victims are forced to work or provide commercial sex against their will in legal and legitimate business settings as well as underground markets. Some victims are hidden behind locked doors in brothels and factories. In other cases, victims are in plain view and may interact with community members, but the widespread lack of awareness and understanding of trafficking leads to low levels of victim identification by the people who most often encounter them" (PolarisProject.org).
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| U.S. Statistics |
There are 27 million victims of human trafficking worldwide (Not For Sale, 2010).
Approximately 80% of human trafficking victims are women and girls and up to 50% are minors (U.S. Department of State).
The average age that a victim is first trafficked for sex in the U.S. is just 12-14 years old (U.S. Department of Justice).
As many as 2.8 million children run away each year in the US. Within 48 hours of hitting the streets, one-third of these children are lured or recruited into the underground world of prostitution and pornography (The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children).
Vulnerability is Key
"Traffickers often prey on people who are hoping for a better life, lack employment opportunities, have an unstable home life, or have a history of sexual abuse - conditions that are present in all spheres of society. Certain populations are especially vulnerable. These may include: undocumented immigrants; runaway and homeless youth; victims of trauma and abuse; refugees and individuals fleeing conflict; and oppressed, marginalized, and/or impoverished groups and individuals.
Undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are highly vulnerable due to a combination of factors, including: lack of legal status and protections, language barriers, limited employment options, poverty and immigration-related debts, and social isolation. They are often victimized by traffickers from a similar ethnic or national background, on whom they may be dependent for employment, shelter, and other means of support.
Runaways and at-risk youth are targeted by pimps and traffickers for exploitation in the commercial sex industry or different labor or services industries. Pimps and sex traffickers are skilled at manipulating child victims and maintaining control through a combination of deception, lies, feigned affection, threats, and violence" (PolarisProject.org).
"Traffickers often prey on people who are hoping for a better life, lack employment opportunities, have an unstable home life, or have a history of sexual abuse - conditions that are present in all spheres of society. Certain populations are especially vulnerable. These may include: undocumented immigrants; runaway and homeless youth; victims of trauma and abuse; refugees and individuals fleeing conflict; and oppressed, marginalized, and/or impoverished groups and individuals. 
Undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are highly vulnerable due to a combination of factors, including: lack of legal status and protections, language barriers, limited employment options, poverty and immigration-related debts, and social isolation. They are often victimized by traffickers from a similar ethnic or national background, on whom they may be dependent for employment, shelter, and other means of support.Runaways and at-risk youth are targeted by pimps and traffickers for exploitation in the commercial sex industry or different labor or services industries. Pimps and sex traffickers are skilled at manipulating child victims and maintaining control through a combination of deception, lies, feigned affection, threats, and violence" (PolarisProject.org).
Indicators of Victimization
"While no two experiences of human trafficking are exactly the same, many traffickers use similar methods to keep their victims enslaved. An understanding of common responses to trauma can also be used to determine whether an individual has been trafficked" (TIP Report, 2012).
Restriction of movement:
Restriction of movement:
Confiscating passports, visas, and/or identification documents
Constantly accompanying the victim, insisting on answering questions on behalf of the victim, and/or translating all conversations
Isolating the victim by not disclosing his or her location or address
Requiring the victim to live and work in the same location
Harmful living conditions:
Restricting access to food and appropriate clothing
Forbidding access to appropriate medical care
Not allowing time off or sufficient time to sleep
Harmful working conditions:
In exchange for work opportunity, charging a large fee that is difficult or impossible to pay off
Requiring unusually long work hours with few or no breaks
Restricting the number of days off
Providing little to no pay or irregular pay
Physical Reactions:
Weakened physical state
Bruises, cuts, or other untreated medical ailments
Complaints of stomach pain
Heart palpitations
Extreme changes in eating patterns
Emotional Reactions:
Loss of memory related to the traumatic event
Frequent bouts of tearfulness
Detachment
Feelings of self-blame
Emotional numbing or emotional response that does not fit the situation
Flashbacks or nightmares
Anxiety and fear
Difficulty making decisions and/or concentrating
Avoidance of eye contact in a manner not related to culture
Isolating the victim by not disclosing his or her location or address
Requiring the victim to live and work in the same location
Harmful living conditions:
Restricting access to food and appropriate clothing
Forbidding access to appropriate medical care
Not allowing time off or sufficient time to sleep
Harmful working conditions:
In exchange for work opportunity, charging a large fee that is difficult or impossible to pay off
Requiring unusually long work hours with few or no breaks
Restricting the number of days off
Providing little to no pay or irregular pay
Physical Reactions:
Weakened physical state
Bruises, cuts, or other untreated medical ailments
Complaints of stomach pain
Heart palpitations
Extreme changes in eating patterns
Emotional Reactions:
Loss of memory related to the traumatic event
Frequent bouts of tearfulness
Detachment
Feelings of self-blame
Emotional numbing or emotional response that does not fit the situation
Flashbacks or nightmares
Anxiety and fear
Difficulty making decisions and/or concentrating
Avoidance of eye contact in a manner not related to culture
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