
Signs and Indicators of Trafficking
Signs and Indicators of Trafficking

Signs and Indicators of Human Trafficking
The following are some indicators of human trafficking for Judge Advocates to review. Not all indicators listed below are present in every human trafficking situation, and the presence or absence of any indicator is not necessarily proof of human trafficking.
Some signs and indicators of human trafficking in DoD contracting included:

- Passports taken so workers cannot leave
- Non-payment of wages
- Switching terms of contract
- Contract not in native language
- Fraudulent promises of bonuses
- Inadequate food/housing provisions
- Denial of medical treatment/benefits
- Unsafe working conditions
- Charging of illegal recruitment fees
- Withholding last paycheck
- Rest & Recuperation denial
- Debt Bondage
- Unsafe travel conditions in war zones
- Coercion to continue working under conditions deemed unsafe or unsanitary
- No access to proper equipment or protective gear or gas mask
- Reprisals for reporting human trafficking
- Held in transit with red badges (Cannot leave barracks without escort- no freedom of movement)
- Purchase of sex by contractors during period of performance of contract
- Terminations due to medical conditions that occurred on the job
- Incomplete transportation to Home of Record upon contract end

Other signs include:
- No CTIP certification clause in the contract
- No CTIP compliance plan
- No awareness program to inform employees about their rights and prohibited activities
- No proper posting of how to report TIP violations
- No recruitment plan that used only approved recruitment companies
- No procedures in place to prevent trafficking and trafficking-related activities
Select the button to download a checklist for preventing trafficking in government contracting.