How do I know if this is happening to others?

Warning Signs of Sex Trafficking

  • Appearing malnourished
  • Showing signs of physical injuries and abuse
  • Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, and authority figure/law enforcement
  • Seeming to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interaction
  • Lacking official identification documents
  • Working excessive, long hours
  • Living at place of employment
  • Checking into hotels/motels with older males, and referring to those males as boyfriend or “daddy,” which is often street slang for pimp or John.
  • Poor physical or dental health
  • Tattoos/branding on the neck and/or lower back
  • Untreated sexually transmitted diseases
  • Small children serving in a family restaurant
  • Security measures that appear to keep people inside an establishment – barbed wire inside of a fence, bars covering the insiders of windows
  • Not allowing people to go into public alone, or speak for themselves

These warning signs are adapted from information provided by the Polaris Project, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center and Innocents at Risk.

Free Legal Help for Victims of Human Trafficking
K&L Gates Human Trafficking Initiative

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