UC Resource Center

Menu
Menu

Child Trafficking

Only have a few minutes? Watch the video below from the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) which explains protections for child victims of human trafficking and how to request assistance for a child:

Child Trafficking Resources

__________

Unaccompanied Children (UCs) may be particularly vulnerable to trafficking at various points in their lives. UCs may have experienced trafficking prior to migration in their home country, during their migration journey, or upon arrival and reunification with a sponsor in the United States.

The resources below will help social service providers working with UCs better understand what human trafficking is and supports available to UC victims and survivors of trafficking.

Under U.S. federal law, “severe forms of trafficking in persons” includes both sex trafficking and labor trafficking:

Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting 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 induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age (22 USC § 7102).  

Labor trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery, (22 USC § 7102).

Click the links below to learn more about what defines/constitutes human trafficking:

Any person who has concerns that a foreign national minor may have experienced, or is currently experiencing, forced labor or commercial sex may submit a Request for Assistance (RFA) to the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP). 

The RFA is an online form that the provider should complete within 24 hours to request help for a minor who you suspect may have been trafficked. Providers may access the form through OTIP’s Shepherd System. 

The below resources from OTIP provide more detailed information and instructions about the RFA process: 

Need to staff a case with OTIP or follow up on a referral? You can call to speak with an OTIP Child Protection Specialist during normal business hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET) at 202-205-4582, or email ChildTrafficking@acf.hhs.gov.

The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issues Interim Assistance or Eligibility Letters for foreign national children that may have experienced trafficking.

Children with an OTIP Eligibility or Interim Assistance Letter are eligible for various public benefits such as Medicaid, SNAP, and other assistance. Click the links below from OTIP to learn more.

USCRI’s program, Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Program, funded through the HHS Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP), serves foreign national child and youth survivors of trafficking.  Aspire provides a variety of services, including but not limited to the following: 

  1. Case management services to youth with an Eligibility or Interim Assistance Letter from OTIP, a pending case with OTIP, or with active concerns in need of support and referral to OTIP
  2. Coordination and advocacy with state, local, federal, and other organizations to support the client’s needs
  3. Technical assistance to case managers who are actively supporting their client and in need of assistance in navigating the benefits application process, including accessing a non-work social security number and other benefits

While Aspire can provide case management services to clients who already have a Post Release Services (PRS) case manager, this is only done typically when the client has specific and/or emergency needs that are best served through additional support from Aspire, in cases when the client is aging out (about to turn 18) and no longer can receive services from their current case manager, or when the client is being discharged from their current services and is still in need of ongoing support. Aspire Regional Coordinators will work with the existing case manager to determine how to best support the client.

Click the links below for more information: 

Need to staff a case with Aspire or follow up on a referral? Contact Aspire during business hours at 800-307-4712 or email aspire@uscrimail.org.

USCRI has developed the following toolkits to help equip you with the tools and tips you need to provide trauma-informed case management services to foreign national children and youth survivors of trafficking.

Interested in learning more? Check out the additional resources.

Trainings:

Additional resources:

Our UC Resource Center offers videos and handouts in Spanish for families. Click the links to browse the resources and share them with your Spanish-speaking clients! Other resources: