Note that youth experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable to trafficking. This page provides information on human trafficking awareness, sex trafficking prevention, and support for trafficking victims.
Trafficking in persons includes:
- Labor Trafficking — Individuals are compelled to work or provide services through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.
- Sex Trafficking — Individuals are compelled to engage in commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. When a person under 18 years old is induced to perform a commercial sex act, it is a crime regardless of whether there is any force, fraud, or coercion.
Contact
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking and is in immediate danger, call 911 first. If you or the other individual is not in imminent danger, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
- Hotline: 1-888-373-7888
- Text: INFO or HELP to BeFree (2333733)
Virginia Resources
There are several Virginia resources available to help identify human trafficking and respond appropriately. The resources focused on human trafficking prevention and intervention, include specific signs to watch for, curriculum and training for school administrators and staff, and helpful fact sheets.
- Virginia Department of Education: Human Trafficking Information
- Human Trafficking Response in Virginia | Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services
Federal Resources
There are several federal human trafficking awareness resources that highlight strategies, policies, and programs available to help combat human trafficking.
- DHS Blue Campaign: Blue Campaign works closely with DHS Components to develop general awareness trainings, as well as specific educational resources to help reduce victimization within vulnerable populations. Located within the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, Blue Campaign leverages partnerships with the private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), law enforcement, and state/local authorities to maximize national public engagement on anti-human trafficking efforts.
Blue Campaign’s educational awareness objectives consist of two foundational elements: prevention of human trafficking and protection of exploited persons. Blue Campaign offers a wide variety of human trafficking awareness materials to help educate the public to watch out for signs and indicators of trafficking and report suspected trafficking to law enforcement.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Human Trafficking Questions and Answers
- National Network 4 Youth: Responding to Youth Homelessness: A Key Strategy for Preventing Human Trafficking
Other Resources
- Polaris Project – The Polaris Project is a nonprofit organization that responds to human trafficking as it happens and is creating a survivor-centered and equity-driven anti-trafficking movement.