Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of someone for the purposes of compelled labor or a commercial sex act through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Human trafficking affects individuals across the world, including here in the United States, and is commonly regarded as one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. Human trafficking affects every community in the United States across age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and Union Parish is no exception.
Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age (22 USC § 7102).
Labor trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery, (22 USC § 7102).
If you encounter any of these red flags, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at
1-888-373-7888 for specialized victim services referrals or to report the situation or contact your local law enforcement.
Know the red flags of human trafficking.
- Partner/employer comes on very strongly and promises things that seem too good to be true – i.e. promises extremely high wages for easy work.
- Partner/employer expects that you will agree to the employment or relationship on the spot, and threatens that otherwise the opportunity will be lost.
- Partner/employer is unclear about the terms of employment, location of employment and/or the company details/credentials.
- Partner/employer denies access to information about your rights.
- Partner/employer denies contact with friends or family; attempts to isolate you from your social network.
- Partner/employer constantly checks on you and does not allow you access to your money.
- Partner/employer asks you to do things outside of your comfort zone such as performing sexual favors for friends.
- Partner/employer displays signs/characteristics of a dangerous person including: attempts to control movement and behaviors, exhibits jealousy, lashes out or delivers punishment in response to noncompliance, is verbally/emotionally/physically abusive.
- Partner/employer uses threats or displays of violence to create a culture of fear.
