Responses to Human Trafficking | The Salvation Army USA

Human trafficking is a heinous crime that exploits the most vulnerable through threats of violence and abuse of power to maintain control over victims.

In 2021, an estimated 49.6 million people were living in modern slavery, including 27.6 million in forced labor and 22 million in forced marriage. (ILO)

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Contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline

Call 1-888-373-7888 ( TTY: 711 ) or Text 233733
(24/7 CONFIDENTIAL)

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The Salvation Army Engages in Anti-Human Trafficking Efforts Through:

Public Awareness Campaigns

The Salvation Army raises national awareness of the injustices of human trafficking in collaboration with local and international partners, coalitions and nongovernmental organizations. Through prevention activities, we reduce vulnerabilities and demand for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. We pursue safety and justice for those who are victims of trafficking and offer holistic support and social services to survivors. In 2021, The Salvation Army helped 8,865 trafficking survivors. Read The Salvation Army's 2021 National Impact Report.

Comprehensive Case Management

We provide ongoing support and services to those who have survived trafficking through our victim assistance programs. Along with the immediate needs of shelter, transportation, food, and clothing, we address physical and psychological trauma through a variety of services, including:

Medical and dental care
Victim advocacy
Crisis intervention
Safety planning
Legal assistance
Interpreter services
Workforce development

Repatriation
Social service benefits
Substance misuse treatment
Childcare
Trauma-informed care
Peer support
Outreach and engagement with survivors

A Legacy of Justice

For more than 150 years, The Salvation Army has stood firmly behind individuals impacted by trafficking and exploitation. In the 1800s, we pioneered an undercover sex trafficking investigation, which directly shaped the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885. By 1900, The Salvation Army had created over 100 safe house throughout London, New York, and other global locations to help those fleeing exploitative circumstances. Over a century later, we remain fully committed to eradicating forced labor and sexual exploitation and to ending sexual and gender-based violence.

Serving All Without Discrimination

In providing its anti-human trafficking programs and services, The Salvation Army is committed to serving all those in need without discrimination or harassment based on age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic in accordance with our capacity to help.

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Trafficking recruitments increased online.

There was a significant increase in potential victims of trafficking who were recruited from social media sites, including Facebook and Instagram. There was a 125% increase in recruitment reports on Facebook and a 95% increase on Instagram compared to the previous year. (Polaris)

When you give to The Salvation Army, you provide funding for programs that provide holistic support and services to survivors of trafficking.Donate now.

Criminal organizations aren't the only contributors to human trafficking offenses.

Although many trafficking incidents may be orchestrated by criminal organizations, in situations of sexual exploitation or sex and labor trafficking combined, 42% of human trafficking victims were brought into trafficking by a member of their own families. (Polaris)

When you give to The Salvation Army, you provide funding for programs that provide holistic support and services to survivors of trafficking. Donate now.

Trafficking can happen in any industry.

Common industries impacted by trafficking in the U.S. include health and beauty services, factories and manufacturing, hotels and the hospitality industry, construction and forestry, and the illicit sex industry and escort services. (Polaris)

When you give to The Salvation Army, you provide funding for programs that provide holistic support and services to survivors of trafficking. Donate now.

The Salvation Army joins with international partners of survivors and activists to combat the injustices of human trafficking.

The Salvation Army joins with survivor leaders, nonprofit organizations, service providers, and numerous other community partners to identify and holistically respond to survivors of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Our national strategy to combat human trafficking helps both foreign and domestic human trafficking victims of all ages and ethnicities through our nationwide case management network. Along with giving immediate refuge and relief to victims, we take a holistic approach to healing, helping each person move from a state of victimized enslavement to God-centered self-sufficiency.