Human trafficking occurs when someone is compelled into service. Individuals may be compelled through force, fraud, coercion, or because of their age. Traffickers often target individuals based on vulnerabilities (e.g., age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, culture, immigration status, housing instability); however, anyone can become a victim of human trafficking.
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Human trafficking primarily affects the most vulnerable members of society. This includes the racial, ethnic, gender, and/or social groups most impacted by discrimination, inequity, and inequality in a given community. Human traffickers identify and exploit individuals in positions of desperation or isolation, taking advantage of circumstances such as poverty. Ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by many of these risk factors, increasing their vulnerability to being trafficked.
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Human trafficking and smuggling are not the same. Human trafficking is exploitation-based and does not require movement from one place to another. An individual can live and be trafficked in the same neighborhood. Smuggling refers to illegally transporting or moving an individual transnationally.
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Sex trafficking is one form of human trafficking. There are many forms of human trafficking that can include sex trafficking, labor trafficking (including both forced labor and domestic servitude), organ trafficking, forced marriage, and exploitation of children for labor, sex, and warfare. Using the term sex trafficking when we are talking about human trafficking makes victims of other forms of trafficking invisible.
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There are 3 main ways women and girls are trafficked:

• They are sold by a family member
• They are tricked
•  They are kidnapped

Many pimps often use a “lover-boy” technique to recruit girls from middle and high schools. A lover-boy will present himself as a boyfriend and woo the girl with gifts, promises of fulfilled dreams, protection, adventure – whatever she perceives she is lacking. Traffickers use social media sites to recruit teenagers. After securing her love and loyalty, he will force her into prostitution.
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Traffickers and pimps use physical, emotional and psychological abuse to coerce young women and girls into a life of sex trafficking. Traffickers are master manipulators and employ tactics to create trauma bonds with victims. Traffickers often use the threat of violence against victims or victim’s loved ones to secure their submission.

Pimps/traffickers often exhibit the following behaviors or characteristics:

• Jealous, controlling and violent
• Significantly older than female companions
• Promise things that seem too good to be true
• Encourage victims to engage in illegal activities to achieve their goals and dreams
• Buys expensive gifts or owns expensive items
• Is vague about his/her profession
• Pushy or demanding about sex
• Encourages inappropriate sexual behavior
• Makes the victim feel responsible for his/her financial stability

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Every victimized and vulnerable person deserves to be surrounded by an alert community, trained professionals, strong laws and policies, and shelter and service options. 


Educate Yourself
In order to fight injustice, you must understand it. There is a great deal of information available for you to learn more about human trafficking. Begin researching the topic. With a working knowledge on the subject, you will be equipped to raise awareness and make a lasting difference.


Share Your Knowledge
Combatting injustice is not a one-man fight. It requires a team effort. No one can win this fight on their own. Tell others about what you know, and together we can take action to be the change we want to see in our world.

​A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found.

​You can go to any station near where the missing person resides or make a telephonic report by calling the local non-emergency telephone number of the Area station in the jurisdiction in which the missing person is a resident. Be prepared to provide information on the missing person, including birth date or age, physical descriptions, and most importantly, any medical information.

Police will also need to know the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and the last location where the missing person had been seen or was known to be. Also provide any known associates and telephone numbers of persons who know the missing person. Other helpful information that may be provided: cell phone numbers, e-mail addresses, or social network information.

When an adult person has been reported missing to police, he or she is entered into a nationwide database; this will assist other law enforcement agencies in finding the missing person.

 It depends if the case meets the criteria created by the Law Enforcement department in your area. If the missing person meets the requirements, the Missing Persons Unit will initiate an AMBER alert on a case-by-case basis.

• It has been confirmed that an abduction has occurred, or the child has been taken by anybody including, but not limited to, parents and/or guardians.
• The victim is 17 years of age or younger, or of proven mental or physical disability.
• There is a reason to believe the victim is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
• There is information available that, if disseminated to the general public, could assist in the safe recovery of the victim.

The Dock Ellis Foundation will verify the police report and make contact with the detective handling your missing person's case. We will verify the information and photos and case details are posted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

We will help you get an Amber Alert
AMBER Alert is an urgent bulletin system for the most serious child-abduction cases.

The Dock Ellis Foundation will request images to create a missing persons flyer for the missing individual. Will then highlight your loved ones on our social media pages. This information will also be released on our website. The team will meet with the individual requesting assistance for a case evaluation plan and gain information for an advanced background check. 

Our goal is to provide solid assistance to the families whose loved ones have gone missing, and they are forced to navigate through the system during one of the most tragic times in their lives and to provide a voice for the unidentified in an effort to return them to their loved ones.


While we recognize that nothing can compare to sharing your stories with those who understand you the most, we would still like to provide any support that we can.

To begin the process please complete the Missing person application form under missing persons. 
Once your form is submitted you will receive an email confirming acknowledgement of your request. The Dock Ellis Foundation team will contact you immediately to begin the next phase. In the initial phase we will meet to familiarize ourselves with the research and continue to inform others for updates.