Human trafficking can occur behind closed doors or in public spaces. It can involve relocation, but it also can occur within the victim’s community.
Trafficking victims usually know and trust their trafficker before the offense. A trafficker may be their victim’s family member, friend, spouse, intimate partner, benefactor, business acquaintance, or boss.
For many vulnerable populations, perpetrators can use debt or the promises of safety and housing to coerce victims into moving or migrating for risky job offers they otherwise wouldn’t consider. After arriving, these victims either discover that the traffickers’ promises were lies or that job conditions are much worse than described. They find themselves trapped and fully reliant on their captors for their physical safety and financial needs.
Once trafficked, victims may be forced into domestic servitude or compelled to work in public-facing spaces such as traveling sales, restaurants, hotels, nail and hair salons, massage parlors, factories, farms, construction sites, fairs and carnivals, churches, or care facilities. They may also be forced to work in an illegal trade, such as selling and distributing drugs or commercial sex work.