Given that H.R. 7181 – Human Trafficking Prevention Act of 2022 was signed by the President and became Public Law No: 117-301 on 27 Dec 2022, it is imperative that lawmakers and Polaris’s leadership address the critical flaws in the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) tip reporting protocol cited in Alison Phillips’s Dec 2022 article and reiterated in her Jan 2023 post.
Summary of the Human Trafficking Prevention Act of 2022
This act directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to coordinate with owners and operators of transportation services to post contact information for the national human trafficking hotline:
- In a visible place in all federal buildings;
- In the restrooms of each U.S. aircraft, airport, over-the-road bus, bus station, passenger train, and passenger railroad station; and
It also requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to post the hotline’s contact information (two signs each at a cost of about $60 per sign – Congressional Budget Office cost estimate, Aug 2022) at all 328 U.S. ports of entry.
NHTH Flaws
Slow NHTH Tip Processing: There are significant delays in NHTH advocates answering and distributing tips. Callers routinely wait on hold sometimes over an hour before an advocate answers the phone. Then there is an additional delay that can sometimes exceed 24 hours or more for advocates to process the report and then distribute the tip to the recipient list. Tips are time-sensitive and their usefulness diminishes over time.
NHTH Restrictions on Tips for Adult Victims: The NHTH does not forward tips about victims over the age of 18 unless the tip is generated by the victim themselves. Of course, victims are not always able or willing to report their trafficking to the NHTH.
Federal Agent Bias: Human trafficking tips to the NHTH are reported only to federal agents. There are no local or state police on the tip recipient lists. Local and state police are normally best positioned to respond to human trafficking, especially in time-sensitive situations. Alison’s article details that the vast majority of tips reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) receive no reply, and there is no response or follow up.
NHTH Instructions
The NHTH Get Help webpage says:
- If you are in immediate danger call 911
- To report a potential human trafficking situation, call the hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or submit a tip online
The webpage also provides safety tips, additional resources, etc.
Recommended Fix
Cut out the middlemen and report human trafficking directly to the police (local and/or state).
Advocacy Action
The NHTH tip reporting protocol is currently inefficient and ineffective. Activating local/state police in human trafficking situations is key. Using the above information, contact your state human trafficking coordinator/task force, lawmakers, and/or Polaris to encourage them to work with legislators from both parties to address the flaws in the NHTH reporting protocols. Legislator contact information is available via the online interactive map at the State Legislature Websites or you can take advantage of the Shared Hope International Advocacy Action Center.
