If You or Someone you Know is a Victim of Human Trafficking please contact:

In Canada: The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010 24/7 or use the chat function on their website.

Or in the United States contact: The National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or use the chat function on their website.

For Human Trafficking Awareness month, I will be posting a series of articles on human trafficking. In 2021 to commemorate this month of awareness, I posted a series of tips on identifying a person who may be trafficked, which I have listed below. I would like to start my series with some basic information on what human trafficking is.

What is Human Trafficking?

Definition – noun – The unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labour or sexual exploitation.

In a nutshell, human trafficking is the exploitation of human beings for financial gain.

Humans + exploitation for financial gain = human beings who are physically, emotionally and psychologically traumatized

Signs of Human Trafficking

A person may be trafficked if they:

Cannot leave their job to find another one
Do not have control over their wages or money
Work but do not get paid normal wages
Have no choice about hours worked or other working conditions
Work long hours, lives at a work site, or is picked up and driven to and from work
Show signs of physical abuse or injury
Are accompanied everywhere by someone who speaks for him/her
Appear to be fearful of and or under the control of another person
May have health issues that have not been attended to
Owe money to their employer or another person who they feel honour bound to repay
May describe moving or changing jobs suddenly and often
Are unfamiliar with the neighbourhood where they live or work
Are not working in the job originally promised to them
Are travelling with minimal or inappropriate luggage/belongings
Lack identification, passport, or other travel documents
Are forced to provide sexual services in a strip club, massage parlour, brothel, or other locations
May appear to be malnourished

Signs YOU might be a victim of human trafficking:

Ask yourself these questions:

Are you in a new relationship with someone older or richer, perhaps online? Does the relationship seem to involve manipulation and control?
Do you receive gifts or cash from your partner for no reason?
Has the relationship you are in taken a sudden negative turn?
Have intimate images of you been shared by someone online with/without your consent?
Do you feel intimidated or controlled? Does your partner often control your phone, where you go, who you see, or even withhold your personal identifidation?
Are you living and working in harsh conditions?