Red Flags for Human Trafficking

It is an unfortunate truth that human trafficking happens everywhere. Texas has been at the forefront in combating this hideous crime since 2016. Texas is actually the first state to make sex buying a crime, and has trained over 30,000 people in ways to combat what is best described as “modern day slavery”.

One of the best ways to combat this crime is by community effort. Below are some of the “red flags for sex trafficking” compiled by the office of the Texas attorney general:

“This is a list of signs or “red flags” that might indicate that sex trafficking is occurring.

• Person seems overly fearful, submissive, tense, or paranoid.

• Person is deferring to another person before giving information.

• Person has physical injuries or branding such as name tattoos on face or chest, tattoos about money and sex, or pimp phrases.

• Clothing is inappropriately sexual or inappropriate for weather.

• Minor is unaccompanied at night or falters in giving an explanation of who they are with and what they are doing.

• Identification documents are held by another.

• Person works long or excessive hours or is always available “on demand.”

• Overly sexual for age or situation.

• Multiple phones or social media accounts.

• Signs of unusual wealth without explanation—new jewelry, shoes, phones without any known form of income.

• Person lives in a “massage” business or is not free to come and go. “