Frequently Asked Questions

Human trafficking occurs when someone is compelled into service. Indivduals may be compelled through force, fraud, coercion, or because of their age. Traffickers often target individuals based on vulnerabilities (e.g., age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, culture, immigration status, housing instability); however, anyone can become a victim of human trafficking.

Human trafficking and smuggling are not the same. Human trafficking is exploitation-based and does not require movement from one place to another. An individual can live and be trafficked in the same neighborhood. Smuggling refers to illegally transporting or moving an individual transnationally.

Sex trafficking is one form of human trafficking. There are many forms of human trafficking that can include sex trafficking, labor trafficking (including both forced labor and domestic servitude), organ trafficking, forced marriage, and exploitation of children for labor, sex, and warfare. Using the term sex trafficking when we are talking about human trafficking makes victims of other forms of trafficking invisible.

Consent does not legalize exploitation. Traffickers often target vulnerable individuals who consent to jobs others who are less vulnerable would not.

Michigan is not the number two spot for human trafficking. In fact, at this time we do not have reliable national data on the prevalence of human trafficking and therefore cannot rank cities and states. The National Human Trafficking Hotline keeps records of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, but these statistics reflect calls only, not identified cases.

While the idea of human trafficking often brings to mind images of people being taken or kidnapped, these situations are the rare exception. More often traffickers target individuals who are vulnerable and develop a relationship with them (and potentially their families) so that they can psychologically control and coerce them into labor and/or sex trafficking.

The screening tool with the most evidence behind it is the Vera Institute Trafficking Victim Identification Tool (TVIT); however, it has not been validated in the healthcare setting. For a more comprehensive overview of validated and un-validated screening tools, please see our Overview in the Policies and Procedures section.

When we think about identifying victims of human trafficking, we often do not think of healthcare providers. However, research studies have found that between 68% – 88% of human trafficking survivors in the United States have come in contact with a health care provider during their trafficking and were not recognized. These studies had limitations including small sample sizes, geographic constraints, and for one, a focus on only sex trafficking survivors. Additionally, this range is likely an underestimate because it primarily focused on survivors who received services at some point.

Gender-based violence is the umbrella term for violence directed at an individual because of their gender or biological sex. It is rooted in gender inequality and can affect individuals of all sexes and genders. Human trafficking is a form of gender-based violence.