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• Definition of Human Trafficking: US State Department defines trafficking as “sex trafficking
in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person
induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or by the recruitment,
harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the
use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude,
peonage, debt bondage, or slavery” (Trafficking in Persons Report—TIPR 2009).
• Types of Human Trafficking includes but is not limited to, forced labor, bonded labor, debt
bondage among migrant workers, involuntary domestic slavery, forced child labor, sex
trafficking, child sex trafficking and related abuses, organ trafficking and child soldiers
(state.gov, FBI.gov, Stop the Traffik)
• Who is trafficked? According to the FBI, the majority of victims relating to trafficking cases
are women and children from Central America and Asian Countries. But not all victims come
from foreign soil; some victims can be American runaways recruited to work as beggars,
dancers, maids, etc. (FBI.gov).
• The extent of the problem is hard to measure, but according to the State Department, at any
given time an estimated 12.3 million individuals (boys, girls, men and women, of all ages—
infant to elderly) are victims of human trafficking, and at between 15,000 – 18,000 individuals
are trafficked into the US (state.gov, FBI.gov).
• Laws regarding Human Trafficking range from state laws to federal laws. The federal law is
named Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, which aims to punish traffickers, protect
victims and prevent trafficking from happening (TIPR 2009). Indiana’s law is IC 35-42-3.5,
which states someone who promotes human trafficking commits a Class B felony, and a
person who accepts acts from a trafficked person commits a Class C felony (IN.gov).
• National Initiatives to combat human trafficking include, Innocence Lost National
Initiative—which addresses the problem of children being trafficked for prostitution (FBI.gov),
cooperation with local, state, federal law enforcement and national victim-based
agencies to form task forces, U.S. Attorney Offices working with victims to support and
advise them of their rights, including address their immediate and long-term needs,
participation in the Human Smuggling Trafficking Center—which serves as a command
center for information regarding human smuggling and trafficking and is in cooperation with
the CIA, FBI, State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (FBI.gov).
• How do traffickers recruit and control victims? They use various methods which are not
limited to, force (including kidnapping), fraud—promises of better lives with abundant food,
money, dreams of modeling or studying in the United States, or even fake nanny jobs or
marriages. Once they obtain their victims, they addict them to drugs or inform the individual
they are now to work of their debt. Traffickers will then use various forms of abuse to keep
their individuals devoted (FBI.gov, Stop the Traffick)
• Who are the traffickers? Often times they are individuals with ties to victim’s national or
ethnic community. They live within the United States legally and may speak fluent English and
their native tongue. They still have close ties with their home country, and may even hold high
social or political status there. Many are tied to drug and weapons trafficking rings (they all
use the same trade routes). Some are independent businesses that sign individuals for menial
jobs, “Mom-and-Pop” family operations that have extended family on both sides of the border
and lure victims through romantic relationships, or even foreign diplomats or business
executives (FBI.gov).
• Signs of trafficking can be limitless, but some include:
o Abuse—physical, emotional, verbal, etc. Bruises, depression, fear, overly
submissive.
o Food paid for by another person
o Accompanied by a controlling person or boss; not speaking on own behalf;
o Lack of control over personal schedule, money, I.D., travel documents;
o Transported to or from work; lives and works in the same place;
o Debt owed to employer/crew leader; inability to leave job (Stop the Traffik,
standagainsttrafficking.com)
• What can you do? When it comes to action, the best thing to do is be aware. “If you see it,
report it.” Stop the Traffik. Familiarize yourself with the issue, and more importantly the
signs of trafficking. If you see someone who might be a victim, please call your local police.