Awareness Resources
It's happening in your town
Human sex trafficking is happening in every state. Entertainment venues, places where people vacation and where discretionary money is spent for pleasure are particular hotspots.
the big 4
Four states account for 1/3rd of all reported cases. High entertainment destinations combined with high percentages of more vulnerable population groups drive this.
Don't let this fool you. Many victims come from affluent families. One survivor in Florida had a schoolteacher mom and police chief dad. She was trafficked less than 2 miles from home.
if you see something, say something
Awareness means nothing without subsequent action. Awareness is only the first step.
Many people encounter trafficking victims, but don't know what to do. So they don't do anything. If there's one point we want people to walk away from when we teach awareness, it is that if you see something, say something.
Your first call should be 911 or local law enforcement or security. Your second call should be to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Their contact info is shown at the top of our website.
Below are links to nationally-recognized organizations
7 years
It's big business. Really big. It's estimated profits in 2024 equal that of Alphabet (Google) and Nvidia combined.
Did you know...the average life expectancy of a trafficking victim in "the life" is 7 years if they are not rescued?
A victim can be sold 15-40 times in 24 hours.
High end traffickers can make up to $1.6 million per year from just 1 victim.
That's the incentive for a trafficker. It's lucrative, with little cost (victims are "reusable") and high profit.
Many victims commit suicide, or their bodies give out from the drugs, physical and emotional abuse, subsequently discarded by their trafficker.
Those who survive are highly traumatized. Imagine being forced to work and live in this "massage parlor?"
Dive Deeper with these organizations
Nat'l human trafficking hotline
Nat'l human trafficking hotline
Nat'l human trafficking hotline
Not just a hotline, but a comprehensive site that shows you how to get help, how to report a potential trafficking situation, how to find services in your area, how to stay safe, and to get more info on a broad range of human trafficking topics, including lots of statistics.
Polaris
Nat'l human trafficking hotline
Nat'l human trafficking hotline
The organization that operates the Nat'l Human Trafficking Hotline, Polaris provides more of the behind-the-scenes research and anti-trafficking activities so many of us rely upon. They also provide news and reports for journalists and other researchers. And if you want to get involved in your community, check out their "how to help" page.
Selah Freedom
Selah is the mentor organization for our partner, Life Recaptured. They provide advice for our leadership, and training materials for our volunteers. The vision of Life Recaptured looks a lot like Selah Freedom. They present a local perspective from their locale across the state. We are grateful they are such a strong and successful model of a well run anti-trafficking nonprofit that encourages all who ask for help. Their pages on prevention and parent resources are particularly helpful.
US bureau of justice / FBI
This link will get you to the most recent report compiled by the US Government Bureau of Justice Statistics. It represents the human trafficking incidents reported to law enforcement.