Step 1
IDENTIFY
“Everyone has the potential to discover a human trafficking situation. While the victims may sometimes be kept behind locked doors, they are often hidden right in front of us… Knowing [the] indicators of human trafficking and some follow up questions will help you act on your gut feeling that something is wrong and report it.”
U.S. Department of State →
The 1st step of the intake process is the identification of a trafficked individual.
Assessment eligibility is based on the following criteria:
COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION
Human trafficking is the commercial exploitation of another person for sex or labor services through force, fraud, or coercion. This statutorily-derived definition informs our referral decisions. Circumstances that do not invoke the form of exploitation it describes fall outside the scope of our mission.
TIMELY CONTACT
If a trafficked individual is identified, we stand available to assess how to appropriately address her/his legal needs. A survivor may contact us directly or be referred by a third party. Please note that legal issues often present complicated factual scenarios that require significant research and preparation time to address. Thus, the more advance notice we are given concerning a potential legal need, the better positioned we will be to conduct a timely assessment.