Human Trafficking can happen to anyone regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, age, sexual orientation or immigration status. Some individuals may be more vulnerable than others due to risk factors such as recent migration or relocation, substance use, mental health concerns, involvement with the child welfare system and being a runaway or homeless youth.
Contrary to movie portrayals and social media, most human trafficking occurs over time in relationships where the individual loves and trusts the trafficker and is deceived or forced into believing that they have chosen to participate in commercial sex or forced labor. Those who have experienced human trafficking often do not see themselves as victims and may often stay in the situation because they feel fear, guilt, shame and misguided loyalty to the trafficker.
Human trafficking does happen in Ventura County in industries such as agriculture, hospitality, domestic services and others. More than 1,300 cases of human trafficking were identified in California in 2021 (National Human Trafficking Hotline). Ventura County’s location along the 101 freeway makes it a corridor that provides human traffickers with fast transport and easy access across multiple counties.
If you or someone you know might be a victim of trafficking, call 9-1-1. If you think you might be a victim and want more information, call 1-800-636-6738 (adults) or 1-805-261-1212 (minors).
Links to other Human Trafficking resources
Interface Children & Family Services
Human Trafficking Prevention & Intervention | Interface Children & Family Services (icfs.org)
Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force
Human Trafficking Task Force | Interface Children & Family Services (icfs.org)
Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Dashboard
https://www.venturasheriff.org/VCSO%20Human%20Trafficking.html
National Human Trafficking Hotline: (888) 373-7888.
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/
Attorney General of California – Human Trafficking – includes laws prohibiting human trafficking and the posting of public notices, a 2012 report on The State of Human Trafficking in California, and other resources.
https://oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking/
Blue Campaign: One Voice. One Mission. End Human Trafficking
Blue Campaign | Homeland Security (dhs.gov)
CAST (California Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking): (888) KEY-2-FREEDOM (888-539-2373).
https://www.castla.org/
Media and Information
Human Trafficking Community Awareness Toolkit English
Ventura County Coalition Against Human Trafficking Poster (Civil Code section 52.6) 11×17″ poster Multi-lingual
Ventura County Poster (Civil Code section 52.6) 8.5×11″ poster English or Spanish
Ventura County Poster (Civil Code section 52.6) 11×17″ poster English and Spanish
United States Department of Education – Human Trafficking in America’s Schools English
Frequently Asked Questions about Human Trafficking Poster requirements FAQs