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December 10, 2010
National Human Trafficking Resource Center Newsletter
Welcome! The monthly newsletter is a tool created by the NHTRC to share relevant and timely information with the anti-trafficking field.
Human Trafficking 101: The NHTRC has developed a collection of documents that provide an introduction to the issue of human trafficking within the United States.
The HT 101 content pack includes the following documents:
- Human Trafficking Cheat Sheet
- Common Myths and Misconceptions
- Human Trafficking Statistics
- Types of Trafficking in the US
- Potential Trafficking Indicators
- Understanding Victims’ Mindsets
- The AMP Model
- Key US Numbers to Call
- Sex Trafficking Cases
- Labor Trafficking Cases
Training & Technical Assistance: How can the NHTRC support your anti-trafficking efforts?
- The NHTRC offers phone consultations to help anti-trafficking advocates develop local referral processes, strengthen coalitions, find out who's working on similar issues around the country and/or discuss certain aspects of the growing anti-trafficking movement or local trafficking networks.
- Specific topics can include: building detailed trafficking assessments for your service population; how to safety plan with a victim or survivor of trafficking; or how to engage in a community-wide response.
To set up a consultation, contact the NHTRC hotline or the regional specialist in your area.
If you are interested in training and technical assistance available through the NHTRC, read more here.
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The NHTRC tracks hotline trends through the collection of diverse call data, including caller demographics, types of potential trafficking referenced, and how callers learned of the hotline number. This year, the NHTRC received a significant number of calls referencing human trafficking occurring at truck stops.
 During 2010, the hotline received approximately 47 different calls from 18 total states regarding truck stops. The highest number of calls came in from Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Approximately three quarters of truck stop calls were tip-related, and the most frequent type of trafficking referenced was domestic pimp-controlled prostitution. Other forms of sex trafficking were also referenced, and callers frequently contacted to the hotline to report potential minors involved in commercial sex.
Most callers identified themselves as truck drivers and approximately half of the callers learned of the hotline through the radio. While many callers contacted the hotline after observing suspicious activity at a truck stop or rest stop area, others called the hotline in response to information coming in over the CB radio system.
Interested in learning more about trafficking and truck stops? Read articles on this topic at Change.org or the Polaris Project’s Northstar Blog. You can also view sample hotline calls referencing truck stops here, or visit the Truckers Against Trafficking webpage.
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Seattle, WA: Beginning last month, various non-profit organizations and governmental agencies announced a multi-lingual poster campaign to empower victims of human trafficking to self-identify and access help.
The posters include messaging in seven languages, and Seattle Against Slavery will coordinate distribution of the posters to businesses and public spaces in an effort to reach potential victims.
Click here to learn more about the Seattle area campaign and how to get involved.
Chicago, IL: Earlier this year, two campaigns successfully focused on advertising the NHTRC hotline number to community members and potential victims in Chicago, Illinois. This past spring Illinois Rescue and Restore hosted a state-wide Outreach Day in which hundreds of volunteers posted hotline advertisements in public venues.
Additionally, Shared Hope International launched a campaign to generate awareness about Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking this past summer by advertising the hotline on billboards and on the Chicago metropolitan area public transit system.
NHTRC staff tracked dozens of calls where the caller identified learning about the hotline from one of these campaigns. Among the calls received were victims of trafficking in crisis and survivors of trafficking seeking resources as a result of these organizations' outreach efforts.
Overall, the campaigns were successful in raising awareness on the issue of human trafficking in the community, which often leads to increased tip reporting. The highest number of calls came in from community members, non-profit organizations, potential victims and their family members. Other significant categories of callers included potential victims of labor exploitation, victims of other crimes, and law enforcement.
The campaigns also helped connect potential victims with critical services and referrals. The NHTRC fielded several calls in particular from former victims needing assistance, and others still in potential trafficking situations who received services as a result of seeing the number during these campaigns. Additionally, the hotline responded to women and men voluntarily engaged in prostitution who recognized themselves as at-risk for trafficking and called proactively for resources.
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During this holiday season, the NHTRC wanted to recognize a few of the individuals who go above and beyond to assist potential victims of human trafficking. This month's vignette highlights the critical role that community members, service providers, and law enforcement play in responding to a potential trafficking situation.
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While a mother and her young son were on their way home from the son’s soccer game, they were approached by a woman in distress in a grocery store parking lot. The woman spoke limited English, but was able to convey that she needed help. She gave the mother a pamphlet she had received with her work visa, which included the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline number. The mother assisted the woman in calling the NHTRC from her cell phone.
The woman explained that she had come to the United States from Nicaragua to work for a family from Venezuela. Due to poor working conditions, extremely long hours, threats against her and her family, and a lack of payment for her work, the caller had tried to escape once before. She failed however, and the family found her, took her back to the house, and beat her. The woman had no place to stay and was worried that her employers would find her and bring her back again. The woman was extremely afraid for her safety but was also initially unsure about contacting law enforcement, fearing that they wouldn’t understand her situation and might just bring her back to the home of her employers.
The mother and son offered to stay with her and help explain the situation, and with the woman's consent, the NHTRC contacted a local task force and service provider to help secure social services and ensure her safety. Law enforcement picked up the woman and brought her to the service provider where she received shelter, case management, and counseling from a bilingual social worker. Law enforcement also opened an investigation based on the NHTRC’s report.
Note: Vignettes are based on hotline calls received at the NHTRC. Names, locations, and other identifying information has been changed and/or omitted to preserve the confidentiality of the populations we serve. Vignettes are meant as examples of the types of calls received by the hotline and are for informational purposes only.
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 The NHTRC has compiled a list of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to share with callers who are interested in viewing/using existing PSAs or are in the process of creating their own. We are interested in all PSA formats (print, video, audio) and in diverse languages (particularly English and Spanish).
If your organization has produced a PSA (in any language or format), please let us know. Provide the online link or other publicly-available information for that PSA.
Reminder: Shelter Bed List
If you know of any shelters or programs that offer bed space for trafficking victims, and have not yet responded to last month’s request, please fill out this form.
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