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Module Purpose

The purpose of this module is to:

  • Better understand the issue of human trafficking and its current realities. 

  • Learn the different types of human trafficking taking place.

  • Share how its impact can show up as trauma in individuals and in communities.

  • Understand vulnerabilities and red flags

  • Learn trauma-informed interventions and resources

Before beginning this module, please have a paper and pen/pencil ready.

 

 Grounding Intentions

As you move through this module please be mindful of how you are responding to the material.

This issue is heavy. Remember:

  • To take breaks when you need them, stand, stretch, breathe

  • Ground in your surroundings, your intent - Where are you? Why are you here? 

  • There may be times when you feel triggered or shut down. Those are very normal responses and it can be helpful to pause and take a deep breath.

  • Acknowledge this is hard. If you need to step away, or pause, please do.

 What is Human Trafficking?

Activity: 

Take a few minutes to reflect on what human trafficking means to you. What do you think of when you hear the term “trafficking?” What stories come to mind? 

 

On a piece of paper, write down or draw about some of your thoughts. We will reflect on and tie back to these thoughts later in the training.

 

Definition of Human Trafficking: 

Human trafficking is the illegal exploitation of human beings for the purposes of forced or coerced labor or sexual activities. Through this module, we will more deeply explore the different ways in which communities and laws define the issue of human trafficking, tools to best equip us in understanding its impact on individuals and communities, and how we as providers and allies can support survivors. 

Human Trafficking Facts and Statistics:

In 2018, Polaris, a national human trafficking research and resource center, took a close look at over 10 years worth of data from the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline to break down broad categories of human trafficking to help identify trends, risk factors, methods of control, and other variables that allow this crime to manifest across the country. 

“To end human trafficking in the United States, we first have to truly understand how it affects real people, in real time, and who can and should play a role in ending it.”

- Polaris Project


Click here to download the 2018 Statistics from the National Human Trafficking Hotline factsheet.

 

How Does Human TRAFFICKING IMPACT ME? My Work?

The issue of human trafficking impacts us all in different ways. Some of us are directly impacted by lived experiences of our own, our loved ones, or through community. Others witness the issue and impact through their work and want to better understand the ways we can impact positive change or prevent human trafficking from happening. Different reasons inspire us to learn more about this issue. All of us are inspired through our own pathways to come here, to listen, and learn. We want to give you all an opportunity to ground in your pathway here today. 

The following video “Human Trafficking: It Happens Here” shares what human trafficking is and looks like, so we can begin to recognize the signs. As you watch this video, listen for relevance or impact to you and your context or job.

 
 

Activity: 

Take a few minutes now to think about how human trafficking shows up in your life and work. What inspires you? What would you like to take away from today’s learnings? 

 
 

Regardless of your pathway, learning about and working to address the issue of human trafficking is taxing on our bodies and souls.

As we dive deeper into the topic of human trafficking, please remember to take care of yourself. We will share what resources are available to you and to the broader community at the end of this module, with shareable handouts for download/print.

 

Grounding in Local Realities:

Human Trafficking in Contra Costa County 

Did you know?

In Contra Costa County, over 500 human trafficking survivors have been identified by the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Coalition since 2013. 

The prevalence of human trafficking is quite stunning. And it is important for us to ground in the realities of our own communities. Here are some stories of cases that involved crimes that took place in Contra Costa County. 

Arthit’s Story

Arthit arrived in the US on an A2-A visa in order to do temporary work on a farm in California picking almonds. He was recruited by a company called Global Horizons (a Southern Californian company that allegedly helped people find good paying farm labor jobs in the US). Global Horizons charged him incredibly high “recruitment fees” which created an insurmountable debt for Arthit. He lived in a dilapidated house with other workers that was infested with rats and endured screaming, threats and physical assault while on the farm. He was isolated from other non-English speaking workers. Bound by his debt and silenced by the perpetrators he felt he had little options. Learn more.

Jessica’s Story

Jessica met a man online (first through Facebook and then the conversation moved to another website known for prostitution). After talking online for awhile the man invited Jessica to go to Orange County with him, promising her lots of money if she went with him. Jessica agreed but once in Anaheim she was given rules and told her she had to prostitute herself. He told her he would keep all the money she made in order to provide for anything they needed. He refused to turn over any of the money to Jessica and threatened her telling her he knew people who have killed other people and he know where she lives. Learn more. 

To learn more about national statistics around human trafficking click here to download 2018 Statistics from the Polaris National Hotline.

 Myth Busting

There are often myths or misconceptions associated with human trafficking. It’s important for all of us to be aware of these myths and to look beyond them to see the issue of human trafficking and to help the victim obtain the benefits and services they are entitled to so they can rebuild their lives.

Let’s explore what some of these myths are, demystify them, and work to better understand the realities that human trafficking victims experience.

Click on each myth to “bust it” by learning more.

 

Human Trafficking Defined

Human trafficking is a broad term used to describe many experiences. Notably, there are two categories of trafficking: Labor and Sex trafficking. In these main categories, there can be intersection where someone is a victim of both. For example, a domestic worker being forced to cook, clean, and do childcare for no money may also be subject to sexual violence such as rape. You’ll note that sex trafficking is also broken into sub-categories, which is the way in which legal definitions and crimes are distinguished between cases involving adults versus minors.

 
 


Let’s break this down a bit more, and talk about how federal law defines what qualifies as human trafficking. Click here for downloadable handout.

What qualifies as “human trafficking”? 

The “What”, “How”, and “Why” of Human Trafficking:

 
 

There has to be at least one thing from each category for the issue to be considered trafficking.

For example…

WHAT: Let’s say someone recruits their cousin to become a waiter. This is the “what”. 

HOW: However, they recruit their cousin by telling them lies - they told them they will be paid minimum wage and be given a nice place to stay. This is the “how” (how they did the recruiting). 

WHY: And, we find out later that they recruited their cousin (and lied to them, which is fraud) so that they could have cheap/free labor – the “why”.

What if we’re talking about a youth under the age of 18? Then...

IF we’re talking about a youth under the age of 18, the big thing to note here is that the middle column (the MEANS or “HOW” column) completely goes away if a youth is the one performing a sex act (CSEC). This is because someone under the age of act cannot give consent to sex. 

 
 

The 3 MEANS

Let’s take a closer look at the three ways in which “MEANS” can be interpreted, when we’re thinking about how someone might experience trafficking. 

The different types of “MEANS” include: FORCE, FRAUD, and COERCION. 

Example: Even if a 15 year old girl says she is performing sex acts “on her own” without the help of a pimp – it is still considered trafficking because she cannot legally consent.

 

Case Example

Lived Experience: Nicole’s Story

Read Nicole’s Story: 

Nicole was promised a job as a physical therapist in the U.S. and then smuggled into the U.S. from the Philippines. Once in the U.S. she was taken to Acucare massage parlor in Emeryville where she was told she would be under the care of the “spa operator” – a woman in her late thirties. Shortly after arrival Nicole was told she would be performing sex acts for men who came in. When a man entered he was allowed to choose which woman he wanted and what sex act he wanted. There was no time limit for how long the men could be with the women. Nicole had to turn over a large sum of the money she earned to the spa owner. She stayed with other women from China, Japan, Thailand and Korea who had all also come to the U.S. the same way she had and who also worked for Acucare.

Read more about Nicole’s case here.

Now, let’s think about Nicole’s case in light of how laws define “human trafficking”. 

The “WHAT” is that Nicole was recruited and transported by her traffickers to work in the U.S. 

The “HOW” is that Nicole’s case included fraud, a false promise of work as a physical therapist, and coercion, in cultural and linguistic isolation.

The “WHY” is that Nicole was asked to participate in labor AND sexual acts at Acucare. 

Interested in learning more about these different types of trafficking? 

Take a deeper dive into these issues and visit the modules for Intro to Labor Trafficking [link to sub-module] and Intro to Sex Trafficking [link to sub-module].

And, now, breathe… 

Learning about human trafficking takes up a lot of emotional and cerebral energy. There is so much to absorb around the gravity of the matter, the laws, and realities of its prevalence. Let’s take a moment to pause, take a deep breath, and check in with ourselves.

We initially grounded in the journeys that brought us here today. Take a look at the notes you took earlier. What resonates, what’s changed, or what’s moved you now that we’ve explored more deeply the issue of human trafficking?

There is so much to navigate as we think about combatting this issue, but you are certainly not alone. There are resources to support you as you continue to deepen your understanding of human trafficking, and spaces for us to join in collective action which we will be talking about at the end of this module. 

We are going to pivot into talking about how human trafficking shows up individuals, the signs to look out for, and ways in which trauma can defined and experienced by trafficking victims. 

What is Trauma?

This section is a very basic overview of trauma.  If you are interested and want to learn more about this topic, please visit the section on Trauma Modules.

Trauma is defined as being:

  • Deeply distressing or disturbing experience. 

  • Outside the scope of “everyday human experiences.”

  • A real or perceived threat to life, bodily integrity, or sanity.

  • Overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope.

Trauma is deeply distressing, involves a real or perceived threat, overwhelms a person’s ability to cope, and is outside of the everyday experience. This is the definition for a single episode trauma – a car accident, an assault, or even a military deployment overseas.  All of these examples have a beginning, a middle, and an end. That is why “PTSD” has a “P” for “post” - after the trauma is over a person is still having symptoms. 

What does trauma look like in human trafficking victims? For many victims, trauma becomes an everyday experience. When this happens, we are really talking about something else… We are talking about Complex Trauma.

Complex trauma is described as simultaneous and/or sequential forms of trauma. Complex trauma can be a result of:

  • Emotional abuse & neglect

  • Sexual abuse, physical abuse

  • Witnessing domestic violence, community violence

  • Traumatic loss

It can happen at an early age, at the hands of a close family member or caregiver; and can also happen later in life. Complex trauma is an important term because most people who have experienced trauma have experienced multiple traumas. It’s also important because complex trauma impacts the brain and body in a qualitatively different way than a single episode of trauma. 

Traumas can also be fostered through contextual features. Systemic Traumas are environmental or institutional traumas. Examples of systemic traumas are: living in a hostile cultural environment due to racism, systemic violence, sexism, extreme poverty, intergenerational traumas, immigration traumas, living in fear of you or your family being deported, etc. These systemic traumas combine with the interpersonal traumas to impact a person in a qualitatively different way than a single episode of trauma.   

Case Example: Here is a constructed profile for a sexual exploited youth. A child is born into a home without enough resources to meet basic needs, a parent who struggles with substance issues, and because of this stress and strain, domestic violence. In this home, the child experiences physical or sexual abuse at the age of four at the hands of an uncle or parent. As a result of this abuse and neglect, the child is eventually removed around the age of five and put into a kinship placement. However, in this home, the child is hard to manage and has tantrums, maybe wets the bed, has trouble sleeping, and may fight or engage in “sexually reactive behavior”. For these reasons the youth enters the foster care system and ends up bouncing through placement after placement due to these same behaviors. 

Then let’s say around nine or ten, the youth experiences another physical abuse in a foster home. By eleven, the youth may think they can do a better job of caring for themselves and leaves placement. Then out on the street, maybe at a bus stop, a person pulls up and engages the youth. They complement the youth, offer housing, attention, and then the youth becomes exploited. This is a very common profile although details vary case to case. Sadly, for this child’s brain and body, there has rarely been a time when there wasn’t traumatic stress.    

Trauma Bonding

For victims of human trafficking, bonding with their traffickers increases the chance of SURVIVAL. For these individuals, despite the harmful nature of their situations, this experience of bonding may fulfill: safety, love, care. This is a common experience that victims have, both as a survival mechanism and as a strategy to access emotional resources. 

 
 

Trauma bonding can be hard to overcome – it is a real connection and relationship. The victim may truly believe their trafficker is their best hope for survival. Sometimes referred to as “Stockholm Syndrome,” trauma bonding increases victims’ chances for survival because of its contribution to coping and resilience capacities. 

When hearing of experiences of bonding, it is important to note that this sentiment  is real and to honor its existence when you are supporting and engaging victims in support. 

  Human Trafficking Key Indicators

Remember that not only does the issue of human trafficking look differently case to case, but so do the people that experience it. Each individual has their own unique story and situation. 

Watch this introduction video to learn more about the different faces of human trafficking:

 
 

When we think about key indicators, understand that these signs are not meant to be a checklist, nor does any indicator necessarily mean they are being trafficked. These indicators are designed to paint a picture, not establish certainty of trafficking. More information-gathering is usually necessary and it isn’t always a screener’s job to further assess. We ask that you treat these details as considerations.  

And, remember referrals are important! Take advantage of the experts out in the field and connect people to the appropriate services when and if possible. 

Click on the links for slang and branding to learn more.

 

What can I do to help end Human Trafficking?

 
 

Download some resources: 5 Things You Can Do handout and the 211 Resource Guide.

Get connected to your local resources. In Contra Costa County we have a coalition that has multiple committees/ workgroups that concerned citizens can get plugged into. If you are a community member you may want to join the Human Trafficking Coalition. If you are a service provider with Human Trafficking cases, you may want to join the Multidisciplinary Case Review Team (MDT) or the Task Force.

Human Trafficking Coalition

 
 

The Coalition started in 2009 and acts as an informal body of over thirty agencies to share information, best practices, training and engage in networking. The coalition meets quarterly and the Task Force reports out at all Coalition meetings.

The Task Force started in 2019 and is a local collaboration of state, federal and local law enforcement agencies and victim service providers which will receive and share information regarding human trafficking activity in the county and regions, support law enforcement in the investigation/prosecution of these crimes and help solidify the bridge between services provides and law enforcement to ensure seamless access of supports for victims.

The MDT is a smaller team authorized by PC 13753 which consists of law enforcement, victim service providers and other qualified persons who come together to share information in order to prevent, identify, manage and treat cases of human trafficking. This team is facilitated jointly by the Human Trafficking Task Force Coordinator and the Family Justice Center.

Who Should I Call?

There are multiple options of who to call when and if you think you may have encountered a trafficking situation or are working with a victim.

24 Hour Hotline: 1-800-670-7273

Call CVS if: you are in your professional capacity as a social worker, law enforcement officer, doctor/nurse, teacher, etc. and you think you may have a client/student/patient who is a victim of human trafficking.

  • Children and Family Services (CFS) 

    24 Hour Hotline: 1-877-881-1116

    Call CFS if: you are in your professional capacity and are working with (or know) a minor who you think is being exploited. CSEC is a mandated offense and must be reported to CFS.

24 Hour Hotline: 1-888-373-7888

Text line: 233733

Call the National Hotline if: you are in you role as community member and think you notice a human trafficking situation (i.e. when you are getting your nails done, or while eating in a restaurant, etc).

Something to keep in mind: You should never approach a potential survivor or trafficking situation in your community member capacity. This can be incredibly dangerous.