Some slaves are kept out of the public eye. Others are right in front of you--waitresses, nail salon workers, kids in your neighborhood, laborers you see every day. I'm not talking about illegal immigrants, but actual slaves.
How can you tell if someone is a victim of human trafficking and slavery? What do you look for?
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, here are clues to help identify a trafficking victim:
- Accompanied by a controlling person or boss; not speaking on own behalf
- Lack of control over personal schedule, money, I.D., travel documents
- Transported to or from work; lives and works in the same place
- Debt owed to employer/crew leader; inability to leave job
- Bruises, depression, fear, overly submissive
Asking the right questions will help to determine if the person is a victim of trafficking. Here are key questions to ask:
- What type of work do you do?
- Are you getting paid? Anything taken out of your pay?
- Can you leave your job if you want to?
- Can you come and go as you please? Are you afraid to leave? Why?
- Have you or your family been threatened?
- What are your working and living conditions like? How are you treated?
- Do you have to ask permission to eat/sleep/go to the bathroom?
- Are there locks on your doors/windows so you cannot get out?
- Has your identification or documentation been taken from you?
If you think someone might be a trafficking victim, call the National Trafficking Resource Center hotline at (888) 373-7888. It's open 24/7.
Don't forget: This Sunday, January 11, is National Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Awareness Day. To learn what Born to Fly International is doing to stop child trafficking, visit www.born2fly.org.
Photo: Kay Chernush for the U.S. State Department
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