Human Trafficking Myths and Facts

Human trafficking only involves sex trafficking

• Human trafficking is not limited to sex trafficking, it also includes labor trafficking, which involves children and adults required to perform labor through force, fraud, or coercion.

Human trafficking victims must be physically restrained or held against their will

• Although some traffickers do physically restrain their victims, psychological manipulation is more common as a means of control. Fear, trauma, drug addiction, threats against family, and poverty are all possible reasons the victim is unable to escape. Some may also be manipulated into believing they have developed a close relationship with their trafficker, which can make them unwilling to seek help.

If the victim is paid or consented to be in their initial situation, it can not be considered trafficking.

• Initial consent to commercial sex or labor prior to the trafficker using force, fraud, or coercion is not relevant to the crime.

Only women and children are victims of sex trafficking

• Anyone is vulnerable to sex trafficking, including men. LGBTQ boys and young men are seen as particularly vulnerable to trafficking.

Labor trafficking is primarily a problem in developing countries

• Labor trafficking occurs in the Unites States, Canada, and other developed countries but is reported at lower rates than sex trafficking.

Traffickers target victims they don't know

• Many victims have been trafficked by romantic partners or family members.

Human trafficking involves the transportation of a person across state or national borders

• Human trafficking does not require movement. If someone is compelled to work or engage in commercial sex through force, fraud, or coercion, it is trafficking.

Human trafficking only occurs in underground and illegal industries

• Cases of human trafficking have been reported in industries including restaurants, cleaning services, construction, factories, and more.