Attorney General Todd Rokita is asking Hoosiers to stay alert for signs of human trafficking in communities across Indiana and to report any suspicious activities to authorities.
Human trafficking is a billion-dollar criminal enterprise, and occurs anytime someone uses force, fraud, or coercion to make another individual provide labor, services, or commercial sex acts. People in certain job roles such as medical professionals, restaurant workers, teachers, and truck drivers are particularly likely to encounter trafficking victims.
With January being National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Rokita using the time to remind Hoosiers to stay watchful and look out for signs of a potential trafficking victim.
According to the U.S. State Department, signs of human trafficking include observations that someone:
- lives with their employer, or lives with multiple people in a cramped space;
- otherwise experiences poor living conditions;
- is prohibited from speaking alone to strangers;
- gives answers that appear to be scripted and rehearsed;
- has an employer holding their identity documents;
- shows signs of physical abuse;
- is submissive or fearful;
- is unpaid or paid very little;
- is under 18 and working in the commercial sex industry.
If you have suspicions that someone is being trafficked, you should immediately call local law enforcement. You may also call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
The Office of the Attorney General operates the Address Confidentiality Program, which helps protect victims of certain crimes, including those who have been trafficked, by concealing their residential address from the public and thereby their victimizers. To learn more about the program visit in.gov/attorneygeneral/about-the-office/appeals/victim-services/address-confidentiality-program/.
