Sex Trafficking
Sex trafficking is the recruiting, harboring, transportation, provision, patronizing or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under 18 years old. Trafficking Victims Protection Act 2000.
Common Indicators:
Individuals show signs of “branding”, tattoos or jewelry of their trafficker’s name
Individuals are unaware of their location, the date, or time.
Individuals are unable to tell a consistent story about their personal information
Individuals avoid eye contact with other people.
Individuals wear inappropriate clothing for the weather.
Individuals exhibit signs of physical abuse and often cannot explain them
Individuals are accompanied by older, controlling individuals.
Individuals have excessive cash or expensive items that they cannot explain
Individual is a marginalized youth:
- is a runaway
- is homeless
- is often truant
- has a relationship with older individual
- has low self-esteem/dependency issues
Common Myths
Myth: If a person initially consented to becoming involved in the sex industry, it cannot be human trafficking.
The truth: Minors cannot consent to being a sex worker. Adults are considered trafficked at the point that they are made to provide a commercial sex act through force, fraud, or coercion.
Myth: Human trafficking involves kidnapping a person and transporting them across international borders or state lines.
The truth: Human trafficking is often confused with human smuggling. Many human trafficking victims are trafficked in their community, by someone in their community, to other members of their community. Many human trafficking victims know their trafficker prior to the trafficking beginning.
Myth: She could just say no to the buyer.
The truth: The individual may be unable to say no for various reasons, such as love or loyalty for the trafficker. Human trafficking victims are often dependent on their trafficker for access to basic necessities such as housing, transportation and food.
Myth: Individuals involved in sex trafficking are female.
The truth: A study has shown that nearly half of sex trafficking victims and survivors are male. Male survivors are far less likely to be identified due to existing stigmas regarding reporting.
What should you do if you suspect sex trafficking?
If you are actively observing human trafficking or there is an emergency call 911.
If not an emergency but you have observed some red flags, call your local non-emergency police number.
If a minor is involved, call the Department of Child Services 1-800-800-5556.
Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-800-373-7888 link to website for chat feature https://humantraffickinghotline.org/
Text HELP to Be Free (233733) to text with the National Human Trafficking Hotline
Additional Information:
Sex Trafficking Information Sheet - English
Sex Trafficking Information Sheet - Espanol
Contact Us:
For questions please contact: htinfo@atg.in.gov
National Human Trafficking Resource Center
Phone: 1-888-373-7888