Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar a year criminal industry and is considered the fastest-growing enterprise in the world. According to a 2017 Polaris report, there are 4.3 million victims worldwide.
This form of modern day slavery affects the most vulnerable populations and constitutes a serious abuse of human rights. From children exploited for the sex trade, immigrants forced into servitude, teens and adults who are forced and or coerced into commercial sex, domestic workers held in a home, to farm-workers forced to work against their will, chances are it's happening where you live or travel.
In an ongoing effort to provide important information on this issue, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (District), in cooperation with the State of California Department of Justice has placed posters with resource information at District transit centers and major bus shelters. The multilingual posters provide information for victims and witnesses of human trafficking.
To further this awareness effort and work towards ending human trafficking, the Polaris Project’s National Human Trafficking Resource Center offers a list of “recognizable signs” that may indicate a human trafficking situation. The list is not exhaustive, but may provide useful insight in recognizing a person in need.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at (888) 373-7888 or the California Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) at (888) 539-2373.