Human trafficking is always or usually a violent crime

By far the most pervasive myth about human trafficking is that it always - or often - involves kidnapping or otherwise physically forcing someone into a situation. In reality, most human traffickers use psychological means such as tricking, defrauding, manipulating or threatening victims into providing commercial sex or exploitative labor.

All human trafficking involves commercial sex

Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to get another person to provide labor or commercial sex. Worldwide, experts believe there are more situations of labor trafficking than of sex trafficking. However, there is much wider awareness of sex trafficking in the United States than of labor trafficking

Human trafficking only happens in illegal or underground industries

Human trafficking cases have been reported and prosecuted in industries including restaurants, cleaning services, construction, factories and more.

Traffickers target victims they don’t know

 Many survivors have been trafficked by romantic partners, including spouses, and by family members, including parents.

Only women and girls can be victims and survivors of sex trafficking

One study estimates that as many as half of sex trafficking victims and survivors are male. Advocates believe that percentage may be even higher but that male victims are far less likely to be identified. LGBTQ boys and young men are seen as particularly vulnerable to trafficking.