Human Trafficking
Human Trafficking is when people profit from the control and exploitation of others. There are two types of human trafficking: sex trafficking and labor trafficking. It occurs within and across U.S. borders, victimizing both U.S. citizens and non-citizens, both children and adults, both men and women.
Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery involving the exploitation of persons for labor or commercial sex. Those who recruit minors for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation violate anti-trafficking laws, even if there is no force, fraud or coercion.
Trafficking can involve school-age youth, particularly those made vulnerable by challenging family situations, and can take a variety of forms including forced labor, domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation (prostitution).
The children at risk are not just high school students; studies show that the average age a child is trafficked into the commercial sex trade is between 11 and 14 years old. Traffickers may target minor victims through social media websites, telephone chat-lines, after school programs or through other students who are used by the traffickers to recruit other victims.
Reporting Suspected Human Trafficking
You can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 or text INFO or HELP to BeFree (233733) to get help or connect with a service provider in your area. The center is not a law enforcement or immigration authority and is operated by a non-governmental organization.
Information for Educators
- Human Trafficking 101 for School Administrators & Staff (PDF) – US Department of Homeland Security (USDHS)
- Human Trafficking of Children in the United States: A Fact Sheet for Schools – US Department of Education (USED)
- Human Trafficking in America’s Schools (PDF) – US Department of Education (USED)
General Information about Human Trafficking
- Human Trafficking Response in Virginia - Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)
- Human Trafficking: A Global Problem (PDF)– US Department of Homeland Security (USDHS)
Resources for Victims
- Virginia Human Trafficking Resource Guide – Virginia Department of Criminal Justice (DCJS)
- National Human Trafficking Resource Center – Polaris Project
Training & Technical Assistance Resources
- Guidelines for Training on the Prevention of Trafficking of Children (Word)
- US Department of Homeland Security’s Human Trafficking Awareness Training
- Not a #Number Training Curriculum - Not a #Number is an interactive, five-module prevention curriculum designed to teach youth how to protect themselves from human trafficking and exploitation through information, critical thinking, and skill development.
- The Prevention Project - The Prevention Project™ curriculum is Freekind’s evidence-based, survivor-informed human trafficking curriculum for middle and high school youth. The curriculum seeks to not only prevent students from victimhood through educating about lures and recruitment methods, but to invest in them as leaders of their generation who can protect themselves and look out for their peers.