Human trafficking is the buying, selling, harboring, and often transporting of human beings for the purpose of forced labor or sexual slavery. Traffickers steal a person’s freedom by using threats, force, abduction, fraud, or deception.

Every year, 25 million men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide, creating a $32 billion industry. It takes place everywhere: not just in “foreign” countries and not just in large cities.

In the United States, human trafficking has been called an invisible crime because the victims are “hidden in plain sight.” But trafficking victims are not invisible if you know what to look for. By learning how to recognize the signs of a person being trafficked and knowing how and when to call authorities, you can be a victim’s best hope for rescue.