January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is reminding the public that human trafficking is not something that only happens to people in other countries but occurs every day across Illinois to children whose average age is 14. To coincide with Human Trafficking Awareness Day, the department launched a new online human trafficking training for DCFS and private agency partner staff. The mandatory training encompasses key concepts and terminology; signs that a youth may be a victim of human trafficking or at risk of being trafficked; experiences of trafficked youth in foster care; and techniques child welfare professionals can use to support youth who have been trafficked. In Fiscal Year 2020, Illinois DCFS investigated 239 allegations of human trafficking of children – though experts believe the number of incidents that occurred during that time is higher. Often, victims of human trafficking do not seek help because they are fearful, ashamed of their situation, distrust law enforcement or become dependent on the perpetrator.

Know The Signs. A trafficked child might: 

• Have an adult control them by speaking for them

• Seem out of place given the time of day or night

• Look disheveled or dressed in clothes that they could not afford to buy

• Show signs of physical abuse such as bruising or red marks

• Not possess any form of identification

• Perform inappropriate work for their age and not be compensated

Anyone who believes a child might be trafficked, or in danger of being trafficked, should immediately call 911 and the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873).