Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit victims for financial gain. Pop culture would have you think trafficking involves kidnapping or otherwise physically forcing someone into a situation. In reality, most human traffickers use psychological means such as tricking, defrauding, manipulating or threatening victims into providing commercial sex or exploitative labor. Most often, young people are taken advantage of by someone they know, love, and trust, not a stranger.

Regardless of the things you have been made to do or what you have been told, you are the victim here and not a criminal. Law enforcement officers and the courts understand that you don’t have a choice when performing the acts and functions that you are pushed into.

You will be put in touch with a state-wide dispatcher that will ask you some questions regarding your safety and personal situation. They will ask for your location or a place that you can be safely approached so they can get someone to come help get you out of a dangerous situation. Once you are with this safe person they will take you to a facility designed for people that are in trouble and need to hide from those who may want to take you back. From there you will be advised of options available to you regarding your continued safety and separation from the people that will want you to return.

Human trafficking is when someone uses force, lies, or pressure to control another person and exploit their work or their body for money or benefit.

You might be a victim if someone controls where you go, who you see, or when you can leave; keeps your ID or documents; takes most or all of your money; threatens you or your family; or forces you to do work or sex you do not want to do.

It can still be trafficking if the situation changed and now you are being threatened, tricked, forced, or unable to leave safely, even if you said yes at the start.

No. You did not cause someone to abuse, lie to, or exploit you. No one ever deserves to be controlled, hurt, or sold.

Many services are confidential and focused on your safety, not on punishing you. In many cases, you can get help regardless of your immigration status.