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GlossaryCrime classifications

Human trafficking

Human trafficking is exploitation that involves compelling a person to provide labor or services or engage in commercial sex through prohibited coercive means.

Human trafficking is exploitation that involves compelling a person to provide labor or services or engage in commercial sex through prohibited coercive means. Under the U.S. federal explanation, commercial sexual exploitation of a minor is trafficking without a need to show force, fraud, or coercion. Trafficking is not defined simply by a person's movement.

What the term describes

The U.S. Department of Justice explains that coercion can be physical or psychological, obvious or subtle. Trafficking can affect people of any citizenship status. A border crossing is not what establishes the exploitation.

For public crime records, distinguish the broad subject from a particular category or charge. An offense label should identify whether the record concerns commercial sex or forced labor and services, rather than relying on the word “trafficking” alone.

Example

Hypothetical example: Workers report that a business used threats against their families to compel them to continue working. The investigation concerns labor exploitation at a worksite in the same city where the workers live.

The absence of transportation across a border does not resolve the trafficking question. The reported coercion and compelled labor are the relevant features in this illustration. The allegation still requires investigation; a call label cannot establish that every legal element has been proved.

Common confusion

Kidnapping concerns unlawful seizure or detention. Trafficking concerns exploitation. One situation may involve both kinds of conduct, but neither term should automatically be substituted for the other.

Trafficking should also not be treated as a synonym for every labor dispute, migration offense, or commercial-sex offense. The applicable definition and circumstances matter.

The North Carolina SBI's NIBRS definitions distinguish commercial-sex trafficking from involuntary servitude. A combined total can hide that difference. For a specific record, read the offense description, governing statute or reporting manual, and case stage before interpreting the category or comparing jurisdictions.

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