Human trafficking is not always kidnapping in a movie. More often it looks like a person who is controlled by someone else — through debt, threats, withheld documents, or fear — and it happens in ordinary places: restaurants, farms, salons, construction sites, hotels, and private homes. Chaplains and advocates are often the one trusted adult who notices.
Warning signs to notice
- Someone else speaks for the person or will not let them be alone.
- The person does not control their own ID, passport, or money.
- Signs of physical abuse, exhaustion, or untreated injuries.
- Fearful, anxious, or unusually submissive behavior; avoiding eye contact with authorities.
- Living where they work, or being transported to and from work by someone else.
- A story that sounds scripted, or inability to say where they live or what town they are in.
- A minor involved in commercial sex — this is always trafficking, no 'proof of force' required.
What to do — and what not to do
Do not confront a suspected trafficker or attempt a rescue yourself — that can endanger you and the victim. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. Otherwise, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 (BEFREE). The hotline is confidential, operates 24/7, and can connect victims with local services in more than 200 languages.
If the person opens up to you, listen without pressing for details. Believe them. Your role is to be safe, steady, and connected — the investigation belongs to trained professionals.
Training makes the difference
The signs are easy to miss without training. GIA Advocate University's certification course includes a dedicated lesson on human trafficking awareness, alongside suicide prevention and gun violence awareness, so that chaplains and advocates can recognize a crisis early and refer with confidence.
Become a certified community chaplain
One-day self-paced course · 11 lessons including crisis response · verifiable GIA certificate.
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