What Does Human Trafficking Look Like?

What does human trafficking look like?

It may not be visible. It’s likely not obvious. And it probably doesn’t look like what you’ve seen portrayed in the movies or on TV. It can’t be identified by looking for any one “type” of person, but rather by potential risk factors.

THERE ARE SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS THAT ALLOW HUMAN TRAFFICKING TO PERSIST ON A GLOBAL SCALE SUCH AS:

• Lack of economic opportunity
• Oppressive political regimes
• Displacement due to political conflict
• Displacement due to natural disasters
• Societal demand for inexpensive products and services
• Societal demand for commercial sex

THERE ARE ADDITIONAL SOCIAL AND CULTURAL INEQUALITIES, AND CIRCUMSTANCES THAT PUT SOME POPULATIONS AT HIGHER RISK.

These populations include but aren’t limited to:

• People of color
• Foreign nationals
• Undocumented immigrants
• People with disabilities
• LGBTQIA+
• Youth involved in child welfare and/or juvenile justice system

TRAFFICKERS OFTEN TARGET PEOPLE WHO APPEAR VULNERABLE TO EXPLOITATION.

There are many contributing and often interrelated factors that can leave someone vulnerable such as:

• Poverty
• Housing insecurity
• Any unstable living environment
• Addiction or substance use
• Lack of support from family, friends
• Lack of access to services

How does a trafficker operate?

Traffickers can be of any race, gender, or social or economic status. Often a trafficker is someone the victim knows and trusts such as an intimate partner, employer, friend, or family member. Traffickers use force, fraud, and/or coercion to control victims, and prevent them from escaping the situation.

A trafficker might:

• Make promises of a better life
• Offer legal status
• Make threats, become violent

Traffickers have many other methods to control their victims such as:

• Isolating from family and friends
• Controlling and monitoring movement
• Continuing to make false promises
• Threatening family members
• Psychological manipulation

Traffickers also create situations where victims are dependent on them:

• Withholding basic needs and substances such as food, shelter and health services
• Putting the victim in a position where they owe their trafficker money (debt-bondage)
• Confiscating documentation
• Forcing victims to engage in criminal activity

Does human trafficking happen in certain industries?

Human traffickers operate in many types of working environments, some are difficult to identify and report.

AGRICULTURE

Many agricultural laborers lack basic worker protections because of the informal or seasonal nature of farm work. Laborers might be undocumented or immigrants with visas that tie them to a specific employer and forced to work with little or no pay under threats of deportation.

DOMESTIC WORK

Nannies, house cleaners, in-home healthcare workers or other domestic workers can be vulnerable to human trafficking because they work in private households away from public scrutiny that may lack basic worker protections and regulations.

HOSPITALITY AND FOOD SERVICE

Different types of food service workers as well as front desk attendants, bell staff, and most frequently housekeepers within hotel/motels may be exploited. Some are undocumented immigrants or immigrants with visas that tie them to a specific employer.

COMMERCIAL SEX

Traffickers use physical threats and abuse, emotional manipulation, and other tactics to force individuals into sex trafficking. Some common venues for sex trafficking include outdoor solicitation, escort services, illicit massage businesses, bars and strip clubs.

CONSTRUCTION

Employers may exploit workers who provide services such as roofing, carpentry, welding, electrical work, and masonry by taking advantage of limited access to worker protections for independent contractors, undocumented immigrants or those with employer-attached visas.

TRAVELING SALES

Due to the transient nature of this type of work, workers are often isolated and kept in poor working and living conditions, paid low wages, or kept in a debt-bondage situation where they owe the employer for costs that outweigh any earnings.

How do I know if someone is being trafficked?

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to know for sure if someone is being trafficked. They may not even understand it themselves. It is a complex crime. Some indicators include (but are not limited to):

• They are not being paid for work, or are being paid very little
• They are not being paid for work because they owe the employer for food or housing or other necessities
• They are being coerced into engaging in commercial sex
• They are being watched
• They are not permitted to speak for themselves or go anywhere by themselves
• They are being bullied, yelled at, physically handled roughly, or being intimidated
• They appear afraid
• There are signs of injury or illness that have not been addressed. This could also include malnourishment.

Even if these indicators are present, it does not mean for sure that the person is a victim of a trafficker. If you think you or someone else is being trafficked, the best thing to do is to call New Mexico's Human Trafficking Hotline. If you’re not sure and want to learn more, please visit our Recognizing human trafficking page.

What is NOT human trafficking?

Human Trafficking has historically been sensationalized and misrepresented by the media and entertainment industry. Make no mistake, traffickers are criminals, violating laws and human rights. It is important for us in Albuquerque to clearly separate truth from myth so we can better identify, report, and prosecute this crime.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS NOT:

ISOLATED TO WOMEN/GIRLS

Male victims are far less likely to be identified. LGBTQIA+ boys and young men are particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking.

SMUGGLING

Human smuggling always involves illegal entry into another country, sometimes across an international border. This is different from the crime of human trafficking.

RECRUITMENT OF STRANGERS

Many traffickers are intimate partners, family (even parents), or employers who have every day interactions with a victim.

EASY TO GET OUT OF

Some people may wonder, “why don’t they just leave?” but it’s not that easy, due to the level of victimization and control, whether physical or psychological.

EASY TO IDENTIFY

Human trafficking is a hidden crime and victims may be afraid to come forward and get help or may not even realize they are being trafficked.

ONLY A CRIME AGAINST FOREIGN NATIONALS

Although Foreign Nationals are at higher risk of experiencing force, fraud, or coercion, human trafficking can be a crime against anyone.

ONLY SEX TRAFFICKING

Sex trafficking is considered one of the two main forms of human trafficking. While sex trafficking has the most awareness, experts believe all forms of labor trafficking occur more than sex trafficking alone, both in the United States and abroad.

THE VICTIM’S FAULT

A victim may not understand that force, fraud, or coercion is being used to exploit them, especially if the trafficker is someone they know and trust. No matter the circumstances, human trafficking is always a crime, and never the fault of the victim.