Recognizing the Signs of Human Trafficking

The Kentucky Derby means a lot of different things for Louisville: celebrity visitors, gambling, outrageous hats, the fastest two minutes in sports, and of course, bourbon. However, the Derby can also have tragic effects on the Louisville area. Large sporting events are known to cause an increase in human trafficking as tourists pour into the city and young women pour into Churchill Downs. With this in mind, the best way to prevent human trafficking is to raise awareness. The National Human Trafficking Hotline lists numerous ways to recognize the signs of human trafficking, but The Dressember Foundation, an organization dedicated to eradicating human trafficking, has highlighted several of the most common signs on their Instagram.

According to Dressember, a person may be a victim of human trafficking if she or he:

• Is not in possession of her or his identification documents

• Has a tattoo or branding intended to signify ownership

• Lives in a place with excessive security

• Experiences physical or verbal abuse from their employer

• Does not have many personal possessions

• Shows signs of physical injury

• Lives at her or his place of employment

• Exhibits a sudden change in academic performance

• Is unable to go out in public alone

• Is forced to meet daily quotas

• Is in desperate need of medical attention

• Is resistant or extremely sensitive to physical touch* (*Dressember points out that resisting touch is completely normal when the person being touched has not consented. However, a person who seems especially resistant to any kind of touch may be showing signs of human trafficking or abuse).

Even if you're unable to detect the warning signs in relation to a person, there are other ways to detect a human trafficking situation as well. For example, Dressember explains that illogical security measures could be a major indicator of human trafficking. According to Dressember, security measures that seem focused on keeping people in rather than out, such as barbed wire on the inside of a fence or bars on the inside of windows, could be indicative of a human trafficking situation.

Dressember also provides several tips for how to help end human trafficking on a day-to-day basis:

• Buy fair trade- Dressember has its own line of fabulous, ethically-made dresses that are available towards the end of the year (from around October-December) at dressember.org/shop. However, there are plenty of sites that provide fair trade clothing year-round such as The New Blak*, Trove, Mata Traders, and Pact. (*The New Blak is a favorite of mine because it's local to Louisville, and all of their garments are made here with fabric from the U.S. and Canada).

• Question the origin of your clothes- Good On You is a website and app that provides ethical ratings for thousands of clothing brands based on their treatment of people, animals, and the planet. It also bases its ratings on how much information the brand releases about its practices. The app can help you to determine whether your favorite brands are ethical and which brands need more work.

• Buy less- According to Dressember, buying less decreases the need for slave labor. If we swap clothes with friends, family, or neighbors rather than consistently purchasing new outfits, we can drastically reduce the need for slave labor.

• Shop secondhand- websites such as thredUP and Poshmark have made consignment fabulous and accessible, and they both feature everyday and designer brands.

Learning to recognize the signs of human trafficking, particularly during large events where trafficking incidents increase in volume, and following Dressember's tips for reducing our impact can help us to achieve the dream of a world without slavery.

For more information, head to Dressember.org or to Dressember's Instagram.

If you believe you are a victim of human trafficking or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, please contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-8888 or text 233733. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911.