Victim Doesn’t Want Help or Victim’s Wishes Are Not Known
How signals are handled depends on the situation. Hotline Professionals work with the signaler to understand as much as possible about what is happening before making decisions about whether or not to connect to law enforcement. Based on those conversations, Hotline Professionals and signalers make detailed plans to try to support the victim without necessarily bringing law enforcement in immediately. That’s because survivors have taught us that in many trafficking scenarios, involving law enforcement without the victim’s consent or knowledge could result in immediate or longer-term harm.
What About Imminent Danger?
Hotline Professionals are trained to understand patterns of escalating violence and to contact law enforcement regardless of whether the victim’s wishes are known if there are signs that either the person wants help and is unable to ask or is facing some kind of imminent danger.
Survivor-centered practice
Respecting victims’ wishes isn’t just a matter of principle but also of safety in the immediate and longer term. Traffickers often threaten victims with harm if they involve law enforcement in any way. Traffickers also manipulate victims’ emotions and make them think they are making their own choices. In that scenario, calling law enforcement has the potential to backfire and cause victims harm.
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