Resources
Trafficked Victims
Human trafficking is modern day slavery involving the use of force, fraud and/or coercion to obtain some type of labor or for commercial sex acts. Traffickers use these methods to lure and force victims into labor and/or commercial sexual exploitation.
Identifying and Assisting a Trafficked Victim
Everyone has the potential to discover a human trafficking situation. While the victims may sometimes be kept behind locked doors, they are often in plain site at; construction sites, restaurants, elder care facilities, nail salons, agricultural fields, and hotels, etc. Knowing indicators and follow up questions will help you act on your gut feeling that something is wrong and report it.
Human Trafficking Indicators
- Living with employer
- Poor living conditions
- Multiple people in cramped spaces
- Inability to speak to individual alone
- Answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed
- Employer is holding identity documents
- Signs of physical abuse
- Submissive or fearful
- Unpaid or paid very little
- Under 18 and in prostitution
- Other red flags that catch your attention
Sample questions to a potential victim privately, without jeopardizing the victim's safety because the trafficker is watching:
- Can you leave your job if you want?
- Can you come and go as you please?
- Have you been hurt or threatened if you tried to leave?
- Has your family been threatened?
- Do you live with your employer?
- Where do you sleep and eat?
- Are you in debt to your employer?
- Do you have your passport/identification? Who has it?
Call to report a tip; connect with anti-trafficking services in your area or request training and technical assistance, general information, or specific anti-trafficking resources. The Hotline is equipped to handle calls from all regions of the United States from a wide range of callers.
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors include multiple mental disorders, all subcategories of abuse, stress, and certain medications.
What are the signs and symptoms for suicidal behavior?
Warning signs that an individual is planning to suicide may include getting his/her affairs in order, suddenly visiting friends or family members (one last time), buying instruments of suicide like a gun, hose, rope, pills, or other forms of medications, a sudden and significant decline or improvement in mood, or writing a suicide note. Many people who complete suicide do not always tell of their plan. If they communicate it is more likely to be someone with whom they are personally close, like a friend or family member.
These individuals tend to suffer from severe anxiety or depression, alcohol abuse, insomnia, severe agitation, loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy, hopelessness, and persistent thoughts of negativity.
National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is 988
Abuse
Cruel and violent treatment on self, others, and animals. Types of abuse: economic, sexual, physical, verbal, emotional, academic, psychological, use of technology, dynamics for immigrants, same sex gender relationship, dynamics for disabilities, and power and control wheels.
5 SIGNS OF FINANCIAL ABUSE
- Sabotaging work or employment opportunities
- Not allowing access to bank accounts
- Ruining the victim's credit
- Manipulating federal benefits
- Forbidding the victim to work
Academic Abuse
Psychological abuse isn’t limited to intimate partners. Seek help by any means necessary, including a department head, a dean, a professional society officer, a member of your PhD committee, or organizing with fellow grad students. That could mean leaving academia, if it’s that or suicide. No professor’s opinion is worth your life. If you’re feeling suicidal, tell a friend. If nothing else, contact the National Suicide Prevention Line @(800)273-TALK. Don’t suffer in silence.
Abuse Using Technology
Digital abuse is the use of technologies such as texting and social networking to bully, harass, stalk or intimidate a partner. In most cases, this type of abuse is emotional and/or verbal and though it is perpetuated online, it has a strong impact on a victim’s real life.
Abuse & Immigrants
Due to the victim’s immigration status, abusive partners have additional ways to exert power and control over their victims: Isolation, Threats, Intimidation, Manipulation regarding citizenship or residency, Economic Abuse, Threatening children and/or other family members
Abuse of the Disabled
Disability abuse is when a person with a disability is abused physically, financially, sexually and/or psychologically due to the person having a disability. For financial abuse you should begin by contacting the toll-free Social Security Administration Fraud Hotline at (800) 269-0271.
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