Signs To Watch For

Human trafficking is hard to spot because it can happen slowly over time. But there are some common warning signs.

What You Might See:

• More school absences/bathroom breaks/returns from lunch hungry
• Drop in grades and withdrawal from social activities
• Tattoo of boyfriend's name, gang symbols/colours, tattoo branding
• Change in friends, becomes labelled as promiscuous by teachers or colleagues and experiences shaming from peers
• Drug and/or alcohol use
• Change in attire/expensive clothing, different hairstyles/manicures
• Carries multiple phones with blocked numbers, taxi numbers stored
• Avoids eye contact
• Can seem fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense, nervous and/or paranoid, or have extreme mood swings
• Exhibits unusually fearful or anxious behaviour regarding law enforcement or other figures of authority
• Becomes protective of siblings or other loved ones
• Lacks health care, appears malnourished, signs of physical abuse like cigarette burns, bruises, etc.

What You Might Hear:

• Makes references to boyfriend (often older) as "Daddy" or self as "mama" or "baby"
• Refers to friends as "wives, sisters", being part of a "stable"
• Speaks about having to make a quota or "bill"
• Talks about being in "The Game", "The Life" or "telly time"
• Makes reference to certain websites
• Overheard describing how much money they make
• Change in lingo or uses lingo/terms by those in "The Game"
• Speaks about hanging out in hotels and Airbnb's
• Talks about future plans with intimate partner including quitting school, getting married, buying a home
• Inability to clarify where they are staying/their address
• Loss of sense of time
• Has numerous inconsistencies in their story

What is Human Trafficking? »

Who Is Targeted?

Anyone can experience sex trafficking, but there are communities that are more at risk: young women and girls, Indigenous women and girls, Black women and girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ youth. That's because the root cause of human trafficking is inequity.

Additional individual targeting factors:

• Child abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Entering/leaving foster care
• Entering the teen years
• Mental health, mental illness
• Precarious immigration status/newcomer
• Single parent, divorced families
• Isolation, rural life
• Poverty
• Addiction
• Running away from home, being kicked out
• Homelessness
• Financial hardship
• Dropping out or being expelled from school
• Moving to a city from a rural or Indigenous community
• Developmental disabilities
• Bullying
• Not feeling adequately loved or supported

Additional societal targeting factors:

• Weak health, educational, and social policies
• General tolerance and normalization of sexual violence within the community
• Weak community sanctions against sexual violence perpetrators
• Lack of social support and integration, support systems
• Physical barriers, especially for people living with disabilities
• A lack of jurisdictional and service coordination
• Service providers who are not trained to identify and properly respond to human trafficking (e.g. law enforcement)
• Oppressive policies (governmental, social, corporate, non-governmental)

Where Are Individuals Commonly Targeted?

Common recruitment locations include:

• Schools
• Malls
• Libraries
• Group homes
• Bus Stops
• Parties at Hotels
• Social media
• Online

Who Can Watch for Signs?

Anyone can watch for signs of human sex trafficking, including:

• Parents or guardians
• Teachers
• Counselors/doctors/therapists
• Friends
• Family members
• Work supervisor
• Co-workers
• Peers
• Community members
• Neighbours

How to Prevent It »