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Human Trafficking
What is it?
The term human trafficking, also referred to as severe forms of trafficking in persons, includes the following:
- Sex Trafficking - The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person included to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age.
- Labor Trafficking – The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion fr the purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.
Human trafficking is a public health issue that impacts individuals, families, and communities. Traffickers disproportionately target at-risk populations including individuals who have experienced or been exposed to other forms of violence (child abuse and neglect, interpersonal violence, sexual assault, community violence, and gang violence) and individuals disconnected from stable support networks (youth who have runaway or are experiencing homelessness, unaccompanied minors, persons displaced during natural disasters).
Victims of human trafficking can include children and adults. They can be United States citizens or foreign nationals. They can vary in gender identity and other demographics. The victim’s relationship to the trafficker may be that of a family member, intimate partner, acquaintance, or stranger. Victims are frequently exploited by traffickers who prey on their hopes of improving their lives or the lives of their families.
While trafficking generally includes the manipulation of a victim into the commission of commercial sex or labor acts, the use of force, fraud or coercion is not always requisite to a youth’s status as a trafficking victim. The inherent vulnerabilities of children make them easier to exploit.
Reporting suspected human trafficking
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911.
Centralized Intake is the statewide centralized processing center for reports of suspected abuse or neglect of children and vulnerable adults in Michigan. Referrals may be made to Centralized Intake as follows:
- Telephone: 855-444-3911.
- Michigan Online Reporting System (MORS) for mandated reporters: MI Bridges (Note: Do not report online if you have already reported using the hotline.)
Services for Human Trafficking Victims/Survivors
The National Human Trafficking Hotline online Referral Directory is made up of anti-trafficking organizations and programs that offer emergency, transitional, or long-term services to victims and survivors of human trafficking as well as those that provide resources and opportunities in the anti-trafficking field.
The Division of Victim Services also maintains a directory of service providers, listed by county.
Human Trafficking Child Welfare Policy
DHS-Pub 215, Human Trafficking of Children Protocol
FOM 722-03, Placement Selection and Standards
FOM 722-03A, Absent Without Legal Permission (AWOLP)
FOM 722-06K, Services For Families Who Are Not U.S. Citizens
PSM 713-04, Medical Examination and Assessment
PSM 713-08, Special Investigation Situations
SRM 300, Human Trafficking of Children
Additional Resources
Michigan Department of Attorney General
Michigan Human Trafficking Health Advisory Board