FACT SHEET:
NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING RESOURCE CENTER

What is the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC)?

The NHTRC is a national, 24-hour, toll-free hotline for the human trafficking field in the United States and is reached by calling 1-888-3737-888 or emailing NHTRC@PolarisProject.org. Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the aim is to provide up-to-date resources on human trafficking, increase access to services for foreign, U.S. Citizen and Lawful Permanent Resident victims and to provide law enforcement, social service providers and community members with the tools to facilitate victim identification in their communities. The NHTRC is operated by Polaris Project, a non-governmental anti-trafficking organization, via a cooperative agreement from HHS.

What does the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Do?

The NHTRC works to improve the national response to protect victims of human trafficking in the U.S. by providing callers with a range of comprehensive services, including crisis intervention, urgent and non-urgent referrals, tip reporting, and comprehensive anti-trafficking resources and technical assistance for the anti-trafficking field and those who wish to get involved. To perform these functions, the NHTRC maintains a national database of organizations and individuals working in the anti-trafficking field, as well as a library of available anti-trafficking resources and materials.

Who Can Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center?

The NHTRC is equipped to handle calls from all regions of the United States from a wide range of callers, including potential trafficking victims, community members, law enforcement agents, government, medical professionals, legal professionals, students, and policy-makers. To date, calls have most frequently involved questions about human trafficking, reporting of tips about potential trafficking situations, requests for training and technical assistance, requests for service referrals involving potential victims, and general information inquiries about how to get involved in the anti-trafficking movement.

How Does the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Respond to Calls?

The NHTRC is available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, every day of the year. Urgent requests are processed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Non-urgent requests are processed between the hours of 9am and 9pm EST, Monday through Friday. If a non-urgent request comes in after 9 pm EST, on the weekend or on a holiday, a message will be taken by the call specialist on duty, and a full-time program staff member will respond to the request within the following week. A chart detailing the available services of the NHTRC is available below.

Available Services – 24 hours a day/7 days a week

Crisis Calls from Victims/Potential Victims

Reporting Tips/Intelligence About Human Trafficking Situations

Training & Technical Assistance Requests - URGENT

Referrals for services - URGENT

Additional Services – 9am – 9pm EST Mon. – Fri.

Training & Technical Assistance Requests – NON-URGENT

Referrals for services - NON-URGENT

General Information Requests

What Kinds of Technical Assistance Are Available through the National Human Trafficking Resource Center?

The NHTRC is able to connect community members with additional tools to raise awareness and combat human trafficking in their local areas, as well as guide service providers and law enforcement personnel in their work with potential trafficking victims. Examples of the types of technical assistance available are:

• Direct referrals to local resources and service providers who offer training or technical assistance in a given area;
• Provision of a variety of resources and materials on human trafficking from diverse sources;
• Phone consultations to individuals or organizations who seek detailed technical assistance on a particular topic;
• Assistance with specialized information requests
• Review of third-party materials;
• Support in procuring speakers/trainers for a variety of engagements and events.

How Can My Organization Become Involved with the National Human Trafficking Resource Center?

The NHTRC strives to engage and support local efforts to combat trafficking and to connect callers to contacts, referrals, and resources in their area, including contact with local Rescue and Restore coalitions and Human Trafficking Task Forces. In order to provide appropriate referrals and up-to-date resources, the NHTRC is constantly expanding its database of contacts and resource materials and would be happy to hear from you. To learn more, please contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1.888.3737.888 or email NHTRC@PolarisProject.org.

For more information on human trafficking, visit www.rescueandrestore.org or www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking