Who Are the Victims?

Who Are the Victims?

Who are the Victims?

Victims can be:

  • Any gender, age, race, nationality, ethnicity, social status, economic background, or immigration status
  • Female or male
  • Adult or child
  • Foreign national or U.S. citizen
  • Runaway and homeless youth
  • Undocumented migrants
  • People displaced by civil conflicts and natural disasters
  • Service members, DoD civilians, DoD contractor employees, and DoD family members

Vulnerabilities to Victimization

Vulnerabilities Associated with TIP:

Traffickers prey on victims with little or no social safety net. They look to exploit victims for cheap labor by preying on individuals in vulnerable situations due to economic hardship, illegal immigration status, political instability, natural disasters, and other causes. Traffickers also exploit people who are vulnerable because of their age. It is important to note that legal migrants can also be vulnerable to trafficking.

Vulnerabilities commonly associated with trafficking victims include:

  • Poverty or economic hardship
  • Political instability or armed conflict
  • Natural disasters
  • Childhood abuse or neglect
  • Children in the foster care and juvenile justice systems
  • Runaway and homeless youth
  • Victims of violence
  • Migrant workers
  • Undocumented immigrants
  • Racial, ethnic, and other minorities
  • Physical or cognitive disabilities
  • History of substance abuse
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) individuals