To make a report, contact our local hotline: 1-800-367-0166

Child Trafficking occurs when an individual buys, trades or sells sexual acts or forces labor with a person under the age of 19. The youth in our community are vulnerable to these predators, and Santa Barbara County wants to STOP the sexual abuse and the labor abuse of our children in our community.

Child Trafficking is child abuse, and Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Services investigates allegations of Child Trafficking in our community, while partnering with other agencies to provide services for positive outcomes for our youth and families. The Child Trafficking program in Child Welfare Services provides support to social workers as well as community partners as they seek to identify and offer assistance to children and youth within the child welfare system who are experiencing commercial sexual exploitation or labor trafficking, or are at high risk of such. The Child Trafficking Program liaisons with stakeholder agencies, non-profits, law enforcement, and other partners to build a network of response to address child trafficking.

Our child trafficking program in Santa Barbara County brings the issue of child trafficking to the forefront by educating local residents, youth, educators, and leaders in our communities about the dangers, signs, and resources available to stop child trafficking in our local community.

How you can Help

  • Volunteer
  • Become a Resource Family
  • Report
“It’s so great to see people working on this problem. As a teen, no one knew I was being trafficked, including me. I hid all of it from everyone, or at least I thought I did. Maybe today, people would see what was really happening to me and be able to help.” - Survivor

Awareness and Identification of Child Trafficking
Frequently Asked Questions

All children under the age of 18 from diverse backgrounds whether cultural or socioeconomic are the most vulnerable to child and labor trafficking. These children are groomed to perform labor or services through force, fraud, or coercion.

• Children who have suffered from domestic abuse
• Runaways
• Children with special needs such as autism
• Immigrants

  • Members of the victims own family
  • Friends, boyfriends, or girlfriends and other significant others
  • Trusted adults
  • Predators who prey on vulnerable youth
  • Youth and unrestricted or unmonitored use of the internet and social media
  • Youth with current or prior involvement in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems
  • Youth with a prior history of sexual abuse
  • Runaway and homeless youth
  • Transgender youth
  • Youth with mental, emotional, or physical disabilities
  • Most victimization happens behind closed doors and unfortunately, often go unnoticed
  • Youth are often manipulated into taking gifts and/or forms of shelter in exchange for sex
  • Many youth are coerced into believing false promises of a better life, money, and fame
  • Predators often establish a serious relationships to gain the victims trust and loyalty
  • A child’s dependency, whether financial or emotional, is used to guilt trip them into performing sexual acts for monetary gain
  • Children are threatened, whether emotionally and/or physically, to enforce obedience and deter the victim from escaping form their captor
  • Most children are either homeless, runaways, or have some involvement with the child welfare system
  • Absent frequently from school or family gatherings for no given reason
  • There are visible signs of physical and emotional abuse
  • The youth frequently goes on long trips or vacations.
  • The youth appears exhausted and malnourished
  • Answers to questions are often calculated and well-rehearsed
  • Their significant other is often much older
  • The youth references sexual language they shouldn’t have knowledge of at their age
  • For immediate emergencies, call 9-1-1
  • SB County CWS Hotline: 1-800-367-0166
  • National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888
  • Parks
  • Bus and train stations
  • Social media websites such as Instagram, Facebook, gaming sites, dating sites
  • Malls
  • Arcades
  • False employment opportunities such as modeling or dancing
  • Unmonitored and unrestricted youth who browse the internet and social media
  • Former or current youth in the child welfare system
  • Youth who have experienced sexual abuse in the past
  • Youth who are either homeless or have run away from home
  • Transgender youth
  • Youth with disabilities whether mental, emotional, or physical

Minors are extremely vulnerable and can fall into dangerous territory with sexual predators, here are the most common warning signs to look for when you suspect a child is being sexually exploited:

  • Lying about their age
  • Behavior shifts
  • Decline in school performance
  • Unusually secretive
  • Overly compliant
  • Soiling or wetting the bed
  • Emotional shifts
  • Mood swings
  • Loss of appetite
  • Decrease in confidence
  • Self-harm
  • Knowledge about sexual activity beyond what they should know at a young age
  • The child has an abusive/controlling and typically older significant other
  • The child wears baggy clothing to hide any signs of abuse
  • Youth and unrestricted or unmonitored use of the internet and social media
  • Youth with current or prior involvement in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems
  • Youth with a prior history of sexual abuse
  • Runaway and homeless youth
  • Transgender youth
  • Youth with mental, emotional, or physical disabilities
  • Any type of work or services enforced by any person under the menace of any penalties in situations where the child has not offered themselves up voluntarily. These children are often under the legal employment age limit and experience forced labor beyond their control.

According to catla.org, common venues and industries for child labor trafficking are as follows:

  • Domestic work
  • Hotel and restaurant services
  • Manufacturing
  • Agriculture
  • Health and beauty services
  • Forced peddling
  • Forced selling and/or cultivation of drugs
  • Signs of physical and emotional abuse
  • Refrain from making eye contact
  • Confinement and entrapment
  • Unfair wages, less than minimum wage
  • Threatened by their trafficker by withholding of documents
  • Poor health (health benefits often non-existent)
  • Dependent on and fearful of their employer
  • Excessive working hours with little to no breaks
  • Feaarful of any authoritative figures (i.e. police)
  • Move regularly to avoid detection
  • RAINN
  • The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
  • Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign
  • National Human Trafficking Resource Center
  • Love 146
  • Cast LA
  • Hope for Justice

Volunteer

Are you interested in helping make a difference?

The Santa Barbara Program against Child Trafficking is in close partnership with the following organizations:

  • North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center Hotline: 805-736-7273
  • Standing Together to End Sexual Assault Hotline: 805-564-3696
  • Victim Witness: 805-346-7518
  • SART Coordinator: 805-682-0702
  • SB County Behavioral Wellness 24 hour Crisis Response and Service Access: 1-888-868-1649

For additional information contact the SB County CWS Hotline for more information at: 1-800-367-0166

Become a Resource Family

Often times, children and youth who have escaped their trafficking situation are vulnerable to returning to their exploiter, for a variety of reasons; such as financial or substance abuse dependency, emotional attachment, or fear. These children and youth may need resource families who will welcome them into a safe and stable home to support them as they heal from the trauma of their trafficking situation. Resource families provide our youth and children with encouragement, support, motivation, and most importantly love. Are you interested in loving and supporting Santa Barbara’s most vulnerable youth?

Report

For immediate emergencies: call 911

SB County CWS Hotline: 1-800-367-0166

National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888

More Information

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