What is Domestic Sex Trafficking?
Domestic sex trafficking of minors is defined as sex trafficking of minors under the age of 18 within their own country. Notice below that according to the TVPA, force, fraud, or coercion are not necessary for sex trafficking to occur if the victim is under the age of 18.
According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) passed by Congress in 2000, “severe forms of trafficking in persons” are defined as:
(a) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or
(b) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.
Indicators of DMST
Individually these red flags do not prove that someone is being trafficked, but if you notice several of these indicators present, it is a good possibility that this person is being trafficked. If you suspect that you may have encountered someone who is being trafficked, please call the 24 hr Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-881-5465.
- Excess amount of cash
- Hotel room keys
- Chronic runaway/homeless youth
- Signs of branding (tattoo, jewelry)
- Lying about age/false identification
- Inconsistencies in story
- Lack of knowledge of a given community or whereabouts
- Presence of an overly controlling and abusive “boyfriend”
- Inability or fear to make eye contact
- Injuries/signs of physical abuse or torture
- Restricted/scripted communication
- Demeanor – fear, anxiety, depression, submissive, tense, nervous
- Claims of being an adult although appearance suggests adolescent features
