FAQs

San Diego County understands the importance to clearly answer the question of

“What is Human Trafficking?”

Human Trafficking is a person taking control of another person’s freedom by using or exploiting that person for money or profit.  This is also called Modern Slavery.

The person in control of the other person is called the Trafficker.

The person being used or exploited is the Victim of this crime.

Victims can be children, women or men of any age, race or nationality.

There are many types and examples of Human Trafficking.

In the United States any child under the age of 18 who has been involved in commercial sex acts is considered a trafficking victim.

San Diego County is committed to End Human Trafficking.  We ask you to Join the Fight!

Warning Signs

Since human trafficking is often a crime that is hidden in plain sight, it is important to be aware of its warning signs. Some indications that a person may be a victim of human trafficking include (especially in the case of women and children):

• Appearing malnourished
• Showing signs of physical injuries and abuse
• Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, and authority figures/law enforcement
• Seeming to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interaction
• Lacking official identification documents
• Appearing destitute/lacking personal possessions
• Working excessively 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
• 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 insides of windows
• Not allowing people to go into public alone, or speak for themselves

Answering the question of “What are Examples of Human Trafficking?”

We need to understand how this can happen to someone.  Adults and children can be prepare or trained; this is also called grooming; or persuaded; also known as coercion; to do an activity by using force or threats by someone controlling another person for money or profit.  There are situations of a trade where the trafficker or controller is trapping the other person by providing a place to live, food, and /or clothing; no matter how poor the living conditions or bad the food is; in exchange for the other person, the victim, to do these activities instead of paying rent or for the food or clothing. There is not a dollar amount of money attached to the things being provided and resulting in a no end in sight situation.

There are many examples of Human Trafficking.  The trafficker or controller uses the ways described above to lure the other person, which becomes the victim into doing the following examples:

Sex for Sale:

• Prostitution
• Pornography
• Sex Videos and/or Pictures
• Massages
• Strip Club Dancing
• Mail Order Brides
• Forced Marriage
• Child Marriage
• Wife/Husband Selling
• Sex Slavery

Entrapment through working as a Laborer:

• Farm or Agricultural Work
• Construction
• Manufacturing
• House Keeping
• Hotel Services such as a Maid
• Health or Elder Care Giver
• Hair or Nail Salon Worker
• Child Labor
• • • • • • • • •  

Unfortunately, we are learning more cleaver ways the traffickers are using to controll and use other people; including forcing children to be soliders.