While starting up a non-profit doesn’t happen overnight and supporting them through monetary means or volunteering might not be possible for all of us, you can still help victims or potential victims of human trafficking by being vigilant in recognising the following signs:
- Bears physical signs of abuse and/or appears underweight or malnourished?
- Is anxious, fearful, tense, nervious, quiet or submissive
- Doesn’t speak for themselves and/or aren’t left alone (third party presence is forced into the situation)
- Poor communication (whether this is an inability to speak the language of the country they’re located in, always having another person speak for them or is unwilling to speak)
- Doesn’t seem to have freedom to make their own decisions in moving freely between places or leaving their home/work
- Reacts negatively in the presence of law enforcement and/or strangers
- Seems confused or unfamiliar with current whereabouts
- Works long or unusual hours with little freedom within the workplace
While these are only a few of the potential signs seen in victims of human trafficking, check out the following websites for greater detail and other signs:
https://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/crime-types/human-trafficking
http://www.usccb.org/about/anti-trafficking-program/identifying-trafficking-victims.cfm
https://polarisproject.org/recognize-signs
Picking up on any of these signs and notifying relevant authorities could potentially save a victim of trafficking from further suffering
Important Contacts include:
Australian Federal Police
131 AFP (131237) https://forms.afp.gov.au/online_forms/human_trafficking_form
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