Before starting a conversation with a young person about sex trafficking, first ask yourself the following:
- Does the young person appear to be in crisis?
- Are you somewhere young people feel safe?
- Can you maintain confidentiality?
- Have you built enough rapport with the young person to ask sensitive questions?
- Do you know enough information about the young person to ask questions that are sensitive to their history of trauma or other adverse experiences?
- Do you believe you are the best person in your organization to
have this conversation with the young person?
Here are some questions you can ask young people to determine if they are a sex trafficking survivor:
- Are your communications (e.g., calls, emails, texts, chats, conversations) ever restricted or monitored?
- How do you get by day-to-day?
- Has anyone offered you something like food or a place to sleep in exchange for sexual favors?
If you are working with a young person you believe is a sex trafficking survivor, share the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Hotline. www.humantraffickinghotline.org
