FACTS AND FIGURES
• Human trafficking is not a choice. A person cannot consent to become enslaved. Victims want to escape, but cannot.
• Human trafficking is not smuggling. Smuggling is transportation; trafficking is exploitation.
• Human trafficking does not require that a victim be moved over state or international borders.
• Approximately 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked in the U.S. every year.
• Human trafficking is a $32 billion global industry
CHILDREN AT RISK
• 40% of human trafficking cases involve the sexual exploitation of a child.
• Between 100,000 and 300,000 children are at risk for sexual exploitation in the U.S. and the victim average age is 11 to 14 years old.
• It is estimated that 76 percent of transactions for sex with underage girls start on the Internet.
RESOURCES & LINKS
Warning signs of someone being trafficked include: signs of physical abuse, unexplained absences from class, less appropriately dressed than before, sexualized behavior, withdrawn or distracted, older boyfriend, new tattoo (tattoos are often used as a way to brand victims) of a name, symbol of money or barcode, and signs of gang affliation.
If you think you have identified a victim of human trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at: 1-888-3737-888 (CONFIDENTIAL CALL) This is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. Call to:
• Report a tip.
• Connect with anti-trafficking services in your area.
• Request training and technical assistance, general information or specific anti-trafficking resources.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Michigan Department of Attorney General - http://www.michigan.gov/humantrafficking
Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force - http://www.humantrafficking.msu.edu
University of Michigan Human Trafficking Clinic -http://www.law.umich.edu/clinical/humantraffickingclinicalprogram
Michigan Abolitionist Project - http://michiganabolitionistproject.org
Shared Hope - http://sharedhope.org/
The Polaris Project -http:// www.polarisproject.org
U.S. Department of State - Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons -http:// www.state.gov/g/tip/
U.S. Department of Homeland Security - http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/humantrafficking.shtm
Human Trafficking Local Michigan Resource & Survivor Websites - http://www.traffickfree.com; http://www.manassehproject.org; http://www.hopeprojectusa.org/
One thing we can all do is pray and we encourage you to pray for the victims of trafficking each day. Below is a prayer.
