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Human Trafficking

What is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is a crime involving the use of force, fraud, or coercion to cause another person to engage in labor or a commercial sex act.  Human trafficking is typically divided into two major categories: labor trafficking and sex trafficking.

Section 1589 of Title 18, United States Code, defines labor trafficking as obtaining labor or services from a person through actual or threats of force, physical restraint, serious harm, or abuse of legal process. 

Section 1591 of Title 18, United States Code, defines sex trafficking as causing a person to engage in a commercial sex act through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, or by causing a minor to engage in a commercial sex act.  Importantly, force, fraud, or coercion do not need to be present when the victim is under the age of eighteen.  The statute defines commercial sex act as any sex act for which anything of value is given to or received by any person.

The statute criminalizes not only the individual that directly causes an individual to engage in sex trafficking, but also anyone who knowingly “recruits, entices, harbors, transports, provides, obtains, advertises, maintains, patronizes, or solicits” a victim of sex trafficking. Liability therefore explicitly extends to anyone who patronizes or solicits a victim of sex trafficking, and customers of sex trafficking victims may accordingly be prosecuted.

Anyone who knowingly assists, supports, or facilitates a violation of the sex trafficking statute may also be held criminally responsible. This can include companies and websites that facilitate and support advertisements that are used in sex trafficking ventures.  

The statutes criminalizing both labor and sex trafficking also prohibit anyone from knowingly benefitting financially or by receiving anything of value from participating in a human trafficking venture. 

Examples of Human Trafficking:

Force Fraud Coercion Other Actions Criminalized
  • Physical assault
  • Sexual assault
  • Isolation
  • Confinement
  • Use of drug addiction
  • False employment offers
  • Sham marriages
  • Lying about work/living situation
  • Withholding wages
  • Taking documentation
  • Threats of violence
  • Threats of arrest/deportation
  • Debt bondage
  • Withholding legal documentation and identification
  • Recruiting
  • Advertising
  • Transporting victims
  • Harboring/housing victims
  • Patronizing or soliciting commercial sex from sex trafficking victims

 

Possible Signs of Human Trafficking:

There are several potential signs of human trafficking, though this is not an exhaustive list and not all victims of human trafficking will exhibit these signs:

  • A worker living with their employer.
  • Poor living conditions.
  • A worker owes money to an employer or recruiter.
  • A worker feels pressured to stay in a work situation they wish to leave.
  • Multiple people working or living in a cramped space.
  • Inability to speak to another individual alone.
  • A person’s answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed.
  • An employer is holding identity documents (such as a worker’s passport, work visa, etc.).
  • A person shows signs of physical abuse.
  • A person is fearful.
  • A worker is unpaid or paid very little.
  • A person is under the age of 18 and engages in commercial sex work.
  • A third party is arranging commercial sex work on behalf of another individual.

Where to Get Help:

  • If you are a victim of human trafficking or would like to report an incident you believe to be human trafficking, contact your local law enforcement agency or FBI field office. The Indianapolis FBI field office can be reached at 1-317-595-4000.
  • You can also contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 to reach a national 24-hour, toll-free, multilingual anti-trafficking hotline. You can report a tip, connect with anti-trafficking services, and request general information or specific anti-trafficking resources.  

Relevant Press:

 

Updated June 27, 2024