Human trafficking impacts all of us. It’s an exploitation of vulnerability. Central Valley Justice Coalition consistently encourages community members to learn to recognize and set aside stereotypes, and keep in mind that human trafficking may be present anywhere. For more information and data in the United States, see Polaris Project.
Look out for these red flags and if a situation seems like lit may be a trafficking situation, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-3737-888 to report the situation and for assistance. Within the city of Fresno, you may also call the Police Department Tip line at 559-621-5950. (Please note: the Tip line is not an emergency response line managed by law enforcement.)
Suspicious activity can also be reported to the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security criminal investigations at 886-DHS-2423, which focuses on investigating human trafficking and protecting victims regardless of their residential status.
The list below is not exhaustive and represents only a selection of possible indicators of sex and labor trafficking.
If the individual:
•Is not free to leave or come and go as he/she wishes
•Is under 18 and is providing commercial sex acts
•Is in the commercial sex industry and has a pimp /
manager
•Is unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips
•Works excessively long and/or unusual hours
•Is not allowed breaks or suffers under unusual restrictions
at work
•Owes a large debt and is unable to pay it off
•Was recruited through false promises concerning the
nature and conditions of his/her work
•High security measures exist in the work and/or living
locations (e.g. opaque windows, boarded up windows, bars
on windows, barbed wire, security cameras, etc.
•Is fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense, or
nervous/paranoid
•Exhibits unusually fearful or anxious behavior after
bringing up law enforcement
•Avoids eye contact
Health Care Indicators
•Lacks health care
•Appears malnourished
•Shows signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, physical
restraint, confinement, or torture
Lack of Control Indicators
•Has few or no personal possessions
• Is not in control of his/her own money, no financial
records, or bank account
•Is not in control of his/her own identification documents
(ID or passport)
•Is not allowed or able to speak for themselves (a third
party may insist on being present and/or translating)
Other
•Claims of just visiting and inability to clarify where he/she
is staying/address
•Lack of knowledge of whereabouts and/or do not know
what city he/she is in
•Loss of sense of time
•Has numerous inconsistencies in his/her story
Survivor Informed Resources for California:
View the Child Labor Trafficking Toolkit, from Preventing and Addressing Child Trafficking (PACT)
View the Child Trafficking Indicator Chart, from Preventing and Addressing Child Trafficking (PACT)
Please contact us for more information on reporting human trafficking or connecting with someone you believe may be a victim or survivor.