When Should You Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline?

The National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-3737-888) gives free, confidential, one-on-one support.

You might want to consider calling the hotline if you or someone you know…

• Is under 18 and has engaged in any sexual activity for money, a place to sleep, food, drugs, alcohol, or in exchange for anything else of value.
• Works under the control of others, is being threatened, and/or can't leave their place of work and/or residence.
• Thinks they or another person will suffer serious harm or legal consequences if they don't work.
• Was recruited for different work than they are currently doing or has a debt to employer or recruiter that they cannot pay off.
• Is in a work situation where supervisors are abusive and/or workers don't seem to have freedom.
• Is 18 or older and is exchanging sex for something for value becasue someone else has used force, fraud, or coercion to compel them to do so.

You can also text the hotline at 233733 or live chat with an Advocate through their website: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/

In addition, the National Human Trafficking Hotline's website has a ton of great resources, including:

• A referral directory with a list of service providers, programs, and anti-trafficking organizations.
• Information on safety planning.
• Hotline statistics.
• Other educational material about human trafficking.

One way to prevent trafficking is to make sure that workers know their rights. For youth workers, you can learn more about your rights and resources to get help here. If you or someone else is in an emergency, always call 911. But when you suspect exploitation for yourself or others, the hotline can connect you with agencies that can get you shelter, counseling, legal services, and other help.

The hotline is available to answer all calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.

Calls received by the hotline are always anonymous unless the caller chooses to provide their name. After receiving a tip, the hotline team conducts a thorough review to determine next steps. If the call includes information about the exploitation of a youth, law enforcement will be notified and any information provided will be shared with law enforcement.