How do I know if I was trafficked?

Many people who are being trafficked do not realize that they have been trafficked until years later. This can be due to the fact that there is so much misinformation about what trafficking looks like that individuals can’t even recognize when it’s happening to them. It can also be due to emotional and psychological factors.

Fear, isolation, guilt, shame, misplaced loyalty and expert manipulation are among the many factors that may keep a person from seeking help or identifying as a victim even if they are, in fact, being actively trafficked.

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How do you know if you’re being trafficked and what to do next if you are? Here are the signs and action steps you can take.

What are the indicators that someone is trafficked?

One of the first things you can do is self-assess using human trafficking warning signs.

Do any of these descriptions describe you?

• Someone is asking you to work or have sex with others while they keep most of the money in return
• Someone is asking you to work or have sex with others in order for you to have access to food, shelter, clothing, or other necessities
• You live in the same place where you work
• You are younger than 18 and an adult is constantly with you, speaking for you and making decisions about where you’ll go, what you’ll do, and who you’re allowed to talk to — often threatening you if you challenge their authority
• You feel your personality has changed suddenly, such as finding yourself wanting to isolate and withdraw from friends and activities you used to enjoy
• Someone has taken your identifying documents, such as an I.D. or passport
• Someone is buying you expensive clothes, makeup, electronics, or other gifts in order to keep you doing what they ask of you
• You’re experiencing physical abuse and harm, or your food and sleep are being controlled by someone else
• You find a consistent need to come up with stories to tell people in your life about where you’ve been and what you’re doing
• Someone is giving you alcohol or drugs even if you’re not sure you want to take them
• Someone has asked you to get a tattoo or a brand in order to prove you love them and are committed to them
• You find yourself feeling watchful, on edge, and nervous around other people; it’s hard to trust others’ intentions
• There is someone who requires you to ask permission before doing basic things like using the restroom or getting a drink of water
• You feel intense shame or self-loathing, including hurting yourself or considering suicide (if you are in crisis, call 988)

The technical definition of human trafficking, per the U.N., is: “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.”

It can be hard to see yourself in such a technical description. It’s important to remember that recruitment can look as simple as a boyfriend asking you to have sex with a friend in order to get money for rent.

Transportation or transfer can look like someone asking you to go to another state for a job cleaning a hotel for very little pay.

Force can look like threats of physical harm. Fraud can look like someone telling you you’ll be working one job, but you end up in another.

Deception can look like a family member telling you that you have to work or have sex with someone in order to help the family out.

In all of these situations, someone else is profiting from something you are doing against your will. That is the core sign that you have been trafficked.

How can I recognize the signs of human trafficking in my situation?

As we said, it can be really hard to know for sure if your situation qualifies as trafficking. This can be especially difficult because your trafficker has likely tried to normalize your situation and your relationship with them. Because so many trafficking situations happen within families, that makes it especially hard. No one wants to believe that their romantic partner, family, or foster family could be capable of harming them in a way that is criminal.

In addition to the list above, you can work your way through more screening questions to help determine if your situation counts as trafficking. Although it may be frightening to consider, try to keep an open mind as you walk through these questions. If you do have someone in your life who you can trust, who is not involved in the situation you think may be trafficking, consider asking them to sit down with you in a private place to walk through one of these additional screening questionnaires:

• My Sister’s Place
• Love Justice International
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Safe House Project

Although your research into considering if your situation might be trafficking will likely begin online, it’s most helpful if you eventually choose to speak with a professional. You can call the non-emergency police number in your area to talk it through, or download the Simply Report app and use their chat function to talk through your situation.

You may also consider speaking to a healthcare professional or therapist about your concerns. However, not all of them are trained well in recognizing human trafficking. You may need to speak to more than one person to determine the truth of your situation. Don’t give up: all it takes is one right person to believe you and see the signs.

Where can I find a confidential assessment for human trafficking?

A few additional assessment tools exist for human trafficking. If you’re younger than 18, you can walk through the National Child Traumatic Stress Network screener. The Department of Health and Human Services also offers a screening document for all ages to assess for trafficking.

Recently, an AI-driven, fully confidential screening system called Ruth has been developed to assess for human trafficking. You can use this tool to see if your situation qualifies in an interactive format that allows you to input your exact situation.

How can you tell if someone is a human trafficker?

An essential part of identifying if you have been trafficked is assessing the behavior of the individual who you think may be trafficking you. This is an individual who may be profiting from your work or your sexual services. Profit may not be monetary, but might come in the form of goods, services, or favors.

Anyone can be a trafficker, and there is no one profile or demographic for this type of criminal. Traffickers are often so close to you that they can be easy to overlook: family members, romantic partners, or business associates.

There is a stereotype that most traffickers are men. Although more men are arrested for this crime annually than women, there is a higher concentration of female perpetrators in this crime than in most criminal fields. This is in part because many women who have been trafficked themselves or are economically disadvantaged due to gender disparities might traffic others in order to maintain their own freedom.

Even if someone is adamant that they only want the best for you, if they are forcing you to work or have sex with others when you do not want to, or if they are keeping most of the income, then they are not actually a safe person who loves you. Anyone who loves you wouldn’t force you to work and keep the benefits for themselves.

What steps can I take next if I think I was trafficked?

If you have gotten this far and are beginning to think you might be trafficked, then download the Simply Report app and begin talking to trained experts about what you’ve been through and what help is available to you. Even if trafficking happened years ago, many providers will offer legal help and therapy services to survivors.

What legal resources can I contact if I think I was trafficked?

There are many legal resources available for individuals who have been trafficked — notably, the Human Trafficking Legal Center ensures that survivors have access to legal resources. So does International Justice Mission. Both websites include contact information where you can reach out if you need support.

Navigating the justice system as a survivor of trafficking can be complex. If you are someone who migrated to the United States and found yourself caught in trafficking, for example, you will need a T visa to stay in the country until your case is complete. The Immigrant Justice Center can help with that.

There is a difference between pursuing a federal trafficking case — a crime the government prosecutes — and pursuing a civil case, in which you may be awarded damages. Although there are many lawyers who volunteer their services pro bono (free of charge) to help survivors with both types of case, you’ll still want to be sure they are reputable and trustworthy. The Human Trafficking Legal Center has a guide for survivors if you’re beginning the legal process.

You should know that your trafficking experience is valid even if you choose not to pursue pressing criminal or civil charges. Court cases can be incredibly worthwhile. They can also take years and prove to be very emotionally costly. No survivor has been through more or less severe abuse based on the decisions they make about reporting and prosecuting. Because the court process and testifying can be so retraumatizing, many survivors choose to focus on mental health and job and housing stability instead as they rebuild their lives.

What are signs of past human trafficking?

Many times, survivors of trafficking do not recognize that they have been trafficked until years or even decades later. This is in part due to what we said about the lack of education about what trafficking looks like. In particular, before 2000 and the passing of the first Trafficking Victims Protection Act, there was very little consensus about what constituted trafficking crime.

Sometimes, finding out if you were trafficked can involve working backward, looking at what is happening in your life now and considering the origin.

This might include thinking about the long-term effects of someone withholding your documents or pay, which might have caused financial or legal problems for years. Maybe you were charged repeatedly with prostitution, even though you felt you had no choice but to engage in sex work at the time. Or maybe you have lingering physical or mental health symptoms that seem different from the people around you.

Long-term health effects of human trafficking

Whether it’s sex trafficking or labor trafficking, exploitation of this kind almost always leaves an impact on your health. One study found that 99% of survivors had long-term health consequences. You can learn more about the full health impacts:

In summary, some health impacts of trafficking may include:

• Malnutrition
• STIs and pelvic dysfunction
• Autoimmune disorders
• Broken bones that never received appropriate care or lost limbs
• Cardiovascular problems
• Respiratory illness
• Dental problems
• Chronic pain

These are just a few of the health effects caused by being trafficked. This list is not exhaustive or intended to be diagnostic. If you have a concern about an unexplained health problem, you can speak to a medical professional to see if they can assist in tracking its origin.

Long-term emotional effects of human trafficking

Some of the clearest impacts of human trafficking are the way it impacts survivors emotionally.

On a fundamental level, someone who has been a victim of trafficking may experience a sense of worthlessness, a lack of confidence, mistrust of other people, struggles in relationships, waves of anger or irritability, and confusion. None of these are bad reactions. They are all normal reactions to an abnormal experience.

At a serious level, emotional impacts can become mental health challenges. A study by Loyola found that 98% of trafficking survivors had a diagnosable mental health condition. In Polaris’s groundbreaking National Survivor Study, they found that in the U.S., access to healthcare was the number one stated need of survivors.

Mental health impacts of trafficking can include, but are not limited to:

• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD or Complex PTSD)
• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Substance Use Disorder
• Eating Disorders
• Sleep disturbances
• Gaps in memory
• Suicidal thoughts
• Self-harm behaviors

These are only a few of the mental health consequences of being trafficked, and should not be considered to be an all-inclusive list. Getting professional help from a therapist or social worker should help you identify what emotional and mental health difficulties you are facing.

How can I connect with support for survivors?

A few databases exist that collect vetted information on support services for survivors. Much of that support will come through domestic violence shelters, especially if you have an immediate need for housing for yourself or your family.

You can complete the Safe House Project referral form to be placed in a program or connected with services in the United States to support you through your recovery journey. The Human Trafficking Hotline also hosts a service provider search tool, although these results may be less curated.

If you are simply seeking mental health help, you can use tools like the twloha.com/find-help tool to filter results in your area. You can also find therapists who offer sliding scale options at psychologytoday.com/us/therapists.

If you are specifically looking for support as an LGBTQ+ individual, you can find support through thetrevorproject.org/get-help. If you are struggling with substance use, go to findtreatment.samhsa.gov.

The Exodus Road lists all U.S. resources at theexodusroad.com/get-help. If you are outside of the United States, you can reach out to an organization in your country by finding them at the Global Modern Slavery Providers Directory.

Want to learn more about human trafficking to dispel myths and learn how it may be impacting you or a friend? Be sure to join our email list for continued educational updates and real stories of trafficking from around the world.