January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) works to combat human trafficking and to support its survivors.
Human trafficking is best described as the exploitation of another for profit. This pernicious act can decimate the lives of the trafficked, often fracturing families, relationships, and livelihoods, and is an act exploiting the victim’s body and labor as a kind of renewable resource.
Traffickers seek to exploit vulnerabilities in our residents. They seek to leverage social and individual risk factors to further their criminal goals.
Social risk factors can contribute to the continuing problem, such as:
- Racism
- Sexism & misogyny
- Homophobia/transphobia
- Sexualizing of girls and young women
- Sexualizing of boys
- Acceptance of violence against women
- Inaccessibility of legal economies
Individual risk factors include:
- Poverty
- Sexual Abuse/Physical Abuse/Neglect
- Runaway/Throwaway/Homeless
- Identification as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual. Transgender, and/or Questioning
- Mental Health
- Unaddressed Trauma
- Developmental/Learning Disabilities
According to the California Department of Justice report 72% of trafficking victims in California are United States citizens or have legal status.
In California, there are currently 35 Human Trafficking Task Forces or Collaborative Efforts combating this crime.
What could be potential signs or indicators of Human Trafficking?
There are many, often subtle, potential signs or indicators of trafficking, including:
- Exhaustion, depression, or symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Poor physical health or malnourishment
- Physical trauma such as scars or bruises
- Untreated medical issues, such as sexually transmitted infections, occupational injuries or exposure
- Lacks control over money, ID, travel documents, or personal schedule
- Exhibits self-destructive behavior
- Coached or rehearsed responses to questions
Supporting Survivors of Human Trafficking
Being held against their will is a situation victims of human trafficking often experience. Victims may lack the resources to escape, like transportation or a place to relocate.
Victims also stay because they are afraid for their lives, or the lives of their relatives/loved ones. Some victims have been subjected to such intense and effective manipulation that they do not identify their situation as one of human trafficking.
Federal and state funding is allocated to Cal OES to support services primarily through grants, education and outreach for survivors of human trafficking, training to first responders and service providers, and communications to increase awareness and support. These efforts include aiming to improve early identification of survivors, and increasing the knowledge and skills needed to address the challenges survivors face, consistent with a trauma-informed approach while identifying new and emerging best practices for coordination of care.
Human Trafficking vs. Human Smuggling
Human Trafficking is considered a nonconsensual action, with no movement required. The victims are not free to leave, and their victimization is done through the use of force, fraud or coercion. Trafficking typically involves forced/exploited labor or commercial sexual exploitation.
Human Smuggling is identified as a willful action and includes the unauthorized crossing of a national border. Key differences include that the person is free to leave after border passage. The person consents to be smuggled and there is no labor or sexual exploitation, though those things may occur during the process. The focus of the transaction is movement.
Cal OES Mission
Cal OES applies a multipronged approach in its fight trafficking. Cal OES facilitates programs that support the identification of trafficking victims, helping to hold traffickers accountable for their crimes, and providing financial assistance to victim service organizations charged with helping victims recover.
With the collective focus and expertise contained in the California State Threat Assessment System, Human Trafficking Grant Programs Division, and the California Specialized Training Institute, CalOES has reach and effect to support anti-trafficking efforts in every county in California, in addition to cross-state and international partners.
How to report human trafficking?
If you believe you have information relevant to a potential trafficking situation, please alert local law enforcement immediately or contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline is a national 24-hour, toll-free, multilingual hotline designed to receive your tip.
Your information will be relayed to the appropriate law enforcement agency and an anti-trafficking victim service provider in your area.