WHO ARE THE TRAFFICKERS?

Traffickers can be foreign nationals, U.S. citizens, males, females, family members, intimate partners, acquaintances, and strangers. (1)

Trafficking can happen in-person or virtually through individual pimps, family operations, small businesses, loose-knit decentralized criminal networks, and international organized criminal operations. (below)

Often the traffickers and their victims share the same national, ethnic, or cultural background, allowing the trafficker to better understand and exploit the vulnerabilities of their victims. (1)

Ultimately, traffickers exist because human trafficking remains highly lucrative. There are two primary factors that drive human traffickers: high profits and low risk.

There are two primary factors that drive human traffickers: high profits and low risk.

Traffickers use various techniques to control and exploit victims. Some traffickers keep their victims physically locked away, however, the more frequent practice is to use less obvious techniques including:

• Isolation from the public – limiting contact with outsiders and making sure that any contact is monitored or superficial in nature 

• Isolation from family members and members of their ethnic and religious community 

• Confiscation of passports, visas and/or identification documents 

• Use or threat of violence toward victims and/or families of victims 

• The threat of shaming victims by exposing circumstances to family 

• Telling victims they will be imprisoned or deported for immigration violations if they contact authorities

• Control of the victims’ money, e.g., holding their money for “safe-keeping” 

• Debt bondage – financial obligations, honor-bound to satisfy a debt 

• Using a romantic relationship to create a false sense of security, belonging, and purpose

• Emotional abuse which creates a trauma bond due to the shared intense, emotional experiences

• Frequently relocating the victim so that no help network can be created