Raise Human Trafficking Awareness
The U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline worked on 10,583 situations of human trafficking in 2020. Through phone calls, texts, web chats, web forms, and email, the Trafficking Hotline handled situations involving 16,658 individual survivors.
Education is the key to expanding the reach and effectiveness of the Trafficking Hotline. It’s important for people to know the scope of sex and labor trafficking, the types of human trafficking, common targets of trafficking, and how to get help. Learn about what we saw through our 2020 data analysis and then share Polaris’s infographics on social media to help educate friends and family about what trafficking actually looks like.
Situations of Trafficking
The U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline learned about 10,583 situations of human trafficking in 2020.
Victims of Trafficking Identified
The U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 16,658 victims of trafficking in 2020.
Human Trafficking is Profoundly Adaptable
Through an analysis of 2020 data from the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, Polaris found that the Internet was reported as the top recruitment location for all forms of trafficking. Notably, there was a significant increase in the proportion of potential victims for whom Facebook and Instagram were the sites for recruitment into trafficking.
Human Trafficking is Highly Personal
Data from the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline shows victims usually know and trust their traffickers. Conversely, friends and family who know something about victims and their situations are also the most likely to be the way they are connected to help.
Human Trafficking Does Not Happen in a Vacuum
Traffickers prey on their victims’ vulnerabilities. Here are some of the most common sex and labor trafficking risk factors and vulnerabilities the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline learned about in 2020.
