Human Trafficking & Stalking Awareness

January is Human Trafficking & Stalking Awareness Month

The National Indigenous Women's Resource Center honors Native advocates’ dedication during National Human Trafficking and Stalking Awareness Month. American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians face some of the highest rates of trafficking and stalking in the U.S. We amplify the voices of survivors, Tribal Nations, and grassroots advocates in the fight for safety, sovereignty, and justice. Our work centers Native survivors’ experiences and supports the sovereign rights of Indigenous Nations to protect their citizens and prevent violence. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and community.

Human Trafficking

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and its subsequent reauthorizations recognize and define two primary forms of human trafficking:

  • Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age. 

  • Forced labor 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 purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

Stalking

The law makes it a federal felony to cross state lines to stalk or harass an individual if the conduct causes fear of serious bodily injury or death to the stalking victim or to the victim's immediate family members. Furthermore, it is a federal felony to stalk or harass on military or U.S. territorial lands, including Indian Country. Someone commits the felony of stalking if that person:

  • places another person in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury to him- or herself, his or her immediate family member, or spouse or intimate partner;

  • causes, attempts to cause, or could reasonably be expected to cause substantial emotional distress to the target of their conduct or

  • acts with the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place the victim under surveillance in order to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate that person.

 

Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking refers to the misuse of the Internet or other technology to stalk and harass someone. A stalker may contact via email, social media sites, messaging apps, or other online spaces/websites. The stalker may also post disparaging messages and share personal information or pictures online to harass or scare the intended victim. Some stalkers may also use technology to find/track the person’s location and monitor online and offline activities. Someone commits the crime of cyberstalking when: 

  • acting with the intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimate intimidate another person by use of email, any interactive computer service or electronic communication service, or electronic communication system of interstate commerce, or any other facility of interstate or foreign commerce

  • 1 out of 2 Native women (and 1 out of 10 Native men) are stalked in their lifetime.

  • American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced significantly higher levels of stalking (48.8 percent versus 18.6 percent for men).

Call local police if you or the victim are in danger. Know you have the right to be protected and to live without abuse. Trafficking is never the victim's fault.

  • If you or someone you know is being trafficked, please reach out to your local domestic violence or sexual violence program. You can also contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
  • Call the StrongHearts Native Helpline at 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483) or use the chat through their website at strongheartshelpline.org. StrongHearts is a 24/7, confidential, and anonymous domestic and sexual violence helpline for American Indians and Alaska Natives.