Human Trafficking Indicators
Victims of trafficking in humans can be found in a variety of situations. You can play a role in identifying such victims.
General Indicators
People who have been trafficked may:
- Believe that they must work against their will
- Be unable to leave their work environment
- Feel that they cannot leave
- Show signs that their movements are being controlled
- Show fear or anxiety
- Be subjected to violence or threats of violence against themselves or against their family members and loved ones
- Suffer injuries that appear to be the result of the application of control measures
- Suffer injuries that or impairments typical of certain jobs or control measures
- Be distrustful of the authorities
- Be threatened with being handed over to the authorities
- Be afraid of revealing their immigration status
- Not be in the possession of their passport or other travel identity documents, as those documents are being held by someone else
- Have false identity or travel documents
- Be found in or connected to a type of location likely to be used for exploiting people
- Be unfamiliar with the local language
- Not know their homes or work addresses
- Allow others to speak for them when addressed directly
- Act as if they were instructed by someone else
- Be forced to work under certain conditions
- Be disciplined through punishment
- Be unable to negotiate working conditions
- Receive little or no payment
- Have no access to their earnings
- Work excessively long hours over long periods
- Not have any days off
- Live in poor or substandard accommodations
- Have no access to medical care
- Have limited or no social interaction
- Have limited contact with their families or with people outside of their immediate environment
- Be unable to communicate freely with others
- Be under the perception that they are bonded by debt
- Be in a situation of dependence
- Come from place known to be a source of human trafficking
- Have had the fees for their transport to the country of destinationpaid for by facilitators, whom they must payback by working or providing services in the destination
- Have acted on the basis of false promises
Children Trafficking Indicators
Children who have been trafficked may:
- Have no access to their parents or guardians
- Look intimidated and behave in a way that does not correspond with behavior typical of children their age
- Have no friends of their own age outside of work
- have no access to education
- Have no time for playing
- Live apart from other children and in substandard accommodations
- Eat apart from other members of the “family”
- Be given only leftovers to eat
- Be engaged in work that is not suitable for children
- Travel unaccompanied by adults
- Travel in groups with persons who are not relatives
The following might also indicate that children have been trafficked:
- The presence of child-sized clothing typically worn for doing manual or sex work
- The presence of toys, beds, and children’s clothing in inappropriate places such as brothels and factories
- The claim made by an adult that he or she has “found” an unaccompanied child
- The finding of unaccompanied children carrying telephone numbers for calling taxis
- The discovery of cases involving illegal adoption
