Children’s Home Society of Florida Shares Human Trafficking Warning Signs
January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Treasure Coast, Fla. (Jan. 17, 2022) – January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month – a time dedicated to raise awareness about human trafficking and educate the public about how to identify and prevent it.
Everyone has the potential to discover a human trafficking situation. Knowing indicators of human trafficking will help you act on your gut feeling that something is wrong and report it.
As national leaders in child well-being, Children’s Home Society of Florida is sharing warning signs to look for that can alert you to a potential trafficking situation.
Human trafficking indicators and warning signs:
- Person seems overly fearful, submissive, tense, or paranoid
- Person demonstrates signs of physical or psychological abuse, such as lacking self-esteem, seeming anxious, bruising or untreated medical condition
- Person seems to be bonded by debt or has money deducted from their salary
- Person has little or no contact with family or loved ones
- Person is not in possession of their own legal documents
- Person has threats made against themselves or family members
- Person is distrustful of authorities
To report a tip of suspected sex trafficking call the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1(888)-373-7888.
Florida has the third largest homeless population in the United States, with 17% of that population being children. Studies show youths who have experienced homelessness or who have run away are at higher risk of being recruited for sex or labor trafficking. In the Treasure Coast area, CHS’ WaveCREST helped 123 youth with runaway behaviors find stability last year, with a majority of them being reunified with their families.
CHS’ WaveCREST shelter serves as a temporary place to stay in the midst of a crisis that will provide immediate safety, basic necessities, counseling, and assessments. Visit chsfl.org/services/for-teens/wavecrest-shelter/ to learn more.
About Children’s Home Society of Florida
On the front lines since 1902, Children’s Home Society of Florida is the oldest and largest statewide organization devoted to helping children and families. Children’s Home Society of Florida serves more than 60,000 children and family members throughout the state each year. More: www.chsfl.org.