Shared Hope’s Familial Trafficking Warning Signs
What we need to know:
• Trafficking usually begins with a family member. Traffickers can be a parent, grandparents, cousin, aunt, uncle, etc.
• Many commercial sexually exploited children in the United States have been sexually abused in a family situation
• Males are just as likely as females to be trafficked by their family • Most kids who are sex trafficked don’t consider themselves victims, many of them have been conditioned to normalize their situation
• Although 14-16 is a common age for victims to be trafficked, with familial victims typically the abuse starts at a much younger age
• Often emotional, psychological, physical, and relational isolation is a hallmark factor to familial trafficking
• Children come from many backgrounds: there is no standard socioeconomic situation, race, gender, creed or religious indicator to predict who will be trafficked over another child in a family situation
What we need to look for:
• Poor mental health, abnormal behaviors, and lack of control
• May be fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense, or nervous/paranoid
• Tries to please adults or get inappropriate attention from them
• Tries to act older than peers or mental age
• Inconsistent behavior, frequent mood swings
• Behaviors that appear to be sexually promiscuous
• May have vague answers; have been taught to hide secrets
• May have non-evident injuries that affect physical activity
• Isolated and does not socialize normally with peers; poor communication skills
• Appears tired and unable to keep up in studies Is not allowed or able to speak for themselves (a third party may insist on being present and/or translating during school meetings, medical appointments, church, etc.)
• Constant cover up for abuser, self-shaming/blaming
• Lack of understanding and education about bodily functions, rape, incest, sexual abuse
• May have poor hygiene, be unaware of body odor or common practices