US Department of Homeland Security shares ways to spot, report human trafficking – WCNC

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, a time dedicated to shining a spotlight on the prevalence of this problem in the United States.

Present Age Ministries shared with Mecklenburg County commissioners during a meeting Wednesday night that it has record of at least 170 children being sex trafficked in the county from January 2020 to December 2022.

According to National Human Trafficking Hotline data, the problem can impact adults and children, alike, and can range in forced labor from sex work to agriculture to domestic work.

The Department of Homeland Security shares some signs a person is being trafficked.

• Physical: Is the person tired? Malnourished? Do they have injuries or bruises in various stages of healing?
• Behavioral: Does the person appear timid, fearful, submissive? Do they defer to someone else in their company? Have they checked out from family, friends, church or school? Do they appear coached or rehearsed in their responses?
• Lifestyle: Are they living in unsuitable conditions? Are they living with their employer? Do they live with several other people in a cramped space? Are there unusual security measures in place where they live? Does their employer hold their identity documents?

Homeland Security officials say to make as many observations of the situation as possible, noting the time and location of pertinent details.

However, they recommend avoiding any attention from or interaction with potential traffickers.

“No pictures, no videos,” Diego Luque, Campaign Specialist at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said. “You could raise the suspicion. You might not know if there are two traffickers present. Maybe you see one, but maybe that trafficker has another person lurking around making sure that everything's okay.”

Luque said, instead, report all your observations to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Tipsters can call the hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888. People can also text “help” or “info” to 233-733.

Learn more about the Dept. of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign, an effort to educate people about how to pinpoint and properly report human trafficking cases.