What are the signs of human trafficking?
Dressember Reading Day #30
Every day during the month of December, we’re answering common questions and breaking down different aspects of human trafficking on our blog and Instagram. Join us in raising awareness about the injustice of human trafficking by sharing, donating, or joining the Dressember campaign.
Human trafficking and modern slavery sound like nightmares taking place far away. Unfortunately, human trafficking occurs all over the world, throughout the United States, and hides right in front of our faces.
Survivors of human trafficking say their rescue was dependent on someone seeing and recognizing the signs of modern slavery.
Alicia Kozakiewicz was kidnapped when she was 13 years old from her home in Pennsylvania by abductors who had primed her for the illegal sex industry through online communication. She was driven across state lines to Virginia and encountered numerous toll booths on her trip. If someone working at those toll booths had recognized the signs, she might have been saved from her kidnappers sooner.
Here are a few signs you might see. An individual in a human trafficking situation might:
Appear noticeably inappropriately clothed compared to their companions (i.e. clothing may be ill-fitting or seasonally uncomfortable).
Have few or no personal belongings.
Have unusual tattoos of barcodes, or the words “Daddy,” “Property of…,” or a man’s name.
Use communication that sounds “rehearsed” or scripted as though they have been told specifically how to respond to questions.
Appear unable to give details of travel plans or be restricted from moving about an airport/station as he or she wishes.
In addition to picking out potential victims of human trafficking, here are some general characteristics to identify traffickers. Traffickers might:
Appear possessive, jealous, angry, or violent regarding companion.
Be vague about their profession.
Appear much older than their companion who corresponds with victims’ attributes.
Not permit traveling companion to speak freely.
Appear to live with employees.
These lists are by no means exhaustive—follow the resources at the end of the article for more information and listen to your gut.
Your follow-through on identifying and reporting human trafficking could save a life.
As survivor Alicia Kozakiewicz said to CNN, “Maybe you're sitting there and you're waiting for your flight or you're standing in security, or you're on the plane—there's a lot of time to sit and be with people. So, pay attention. And report if you see something, if you have that gut feeling. Go with it, don't second-guess it too much. And it's a hard thing to do, because you may disrupt somebody's life for a few moments if they aren't doing anything. But if there's a chance, saving somebody's life—what could be more important than saving somebody from being tortured and abused and possibly murdered? And I know, because my life was saved."
Alicia was rescued because someone online saw a streaming video of her abuse and recognized her from a missing person’s listing. It took someone like you noticing something was wrong and reporting it to liberate Alicia from her captors to become the advocate for children’s safety she is today.
Further Resources:
HOPE FOR JUSTICE - Informative Outline of Trafficking Indicators
Dressember Blog - “Invisible Until Now - The Blue Campaign”
G Okuma started writing her dreams and fictional court cases at age 6. Her long-term collaborative relationship with words led her to the College of William & Mary and eventually to freelance writing. Aside from assisting clients with online content, she's learning to garden in the highland desert of the southwest, advocating for human and animal rights, writing letters to those seeking an act of friendship on Instagram (@dear.little.g), practicing and teaching yoga, and exploring art and life with her husband and two cats.