Child Sex and Labor Trafficking

Sex Trafficking 

Louisiana law makes it illegal to knowingly recruit, harbor, transport, provide, sell, offer, advertise, permit, consent, purchase, benefit, receive, isolate, entice, obtain, maintain or solicit the use of a person under the age of eighteen years for the purpose of engaging in commercial sexual activity or to knowingly facilitate any of the activities listed above, by any means, including but not limited to, aiding, abetting, or conspiring, regardless of whether a thing of value has been promised or received by the person as specified by RS 14:46.3 (A) 

Commercial Sexual Activity means any sexual or lewd or lascivious act performed or conducted when anything of value has been given, promised, or received by any person, directly or indirectly, including the production or transmission of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) or pornography as specified by RS 14:46.3(B). Sex trafficking does NOT have to involve fraud, force, or coercion to be considered criminal activity. It is also not a defense that the offender did not know the age of the victim or that the victim consented. 

Labor Trafficking 

Louisiana law makes it illegal to knowingly recruit, harbor, transport, provide, solicit, sell, receive, isolate, entice, obtain, patronize, procure, purchase, hold, restrain, induce, threaten, subject, or maintain the use of another person through fraud, force, or coercion to provide services or labor as specified by RS 14: 46.2(1)(A) 

For more information about trafficking, visit the Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention website at https://humantrafficking.la.gov (opens in a new tab).  

Act 662 (opens in a new tab) of the 2022 Legislative Session and Act 737 (opens in a new tab) of the 2026 Legislative Session requires that all suspected child sex and labor trafficking reports be made to DCFS, regardless of whether there is any alleged parental or caretaker involvement or culpability. Previously, DCFS accepted reports only if the parent or caretaker was alleged to have been involved in the trafficking in some way or to have committed other forms of abuse/neglect, as those are the cases that DCFS has legal authority to investigate.

Possible indicators of child sex trafficking include:

• Has the child run away 3 or more times from their family or foster care placement?
• Does the child have any suspicious or unaccounted for money or goods such as multiple cell phones, drugs, alcohol, hotel keys/cards or false IDs?
• Does the child have continued interaction with individuals on the internet that involves sexual coercion or enticement (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, X, TikTok, OnlyFans, gaming platforms) 
• Has there been unauthorized travel across parish or state lines?
• Does the child have suspicious injuries or tattoos that they are reluctant to explain?
• Have there ever been confirmed or reported uses of hotels for parties or sexual encounters?
• Does the child have chronic sexually transmitted diseases or multiple pregnancies/abortions?
• Does the child refer to anyone as “Daddy” other than the person they consider their father?

Possible indicators of child labor trafficking include: 

• Is the child paid little or nothing for their work, or does someone else control their earnings? 
• Does the child appear unable to walk away, stop working, or is unable to quit? 
• Does the child have limited freedom of movement or restricted access to family, friends, transportation, or identification documents?  
• Does the child appear to be controlled or closely monitored by an employer, family member, or another adult who speaks for them?   
• Does the child show signs of physical abuse, exhaustion, malnutrition, or untreated medical needs?  
• Does the child provide inconsistent or scripted explanations about their work, living situation, or adults responsible for them?  

These indicators do not necessarily mean a child is being trafficked. However, the presence of one or more indicators may warrant additional assessment or reporting to the appropriate authorities. 

For more information about trafficking, visit the Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention at https://humantrafficking.la.gov (opens in a new tab). 

To report suspected child sex or labor trafficking, mandated reporters and the general public must call the DCFS child abuse/neglect hotline at 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437), and select option #4. The hotline is toll-free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When you call, you will have a choice to provide your name and leave callback information or to remain anonymous. Please note: You may never hear the outcome of what you reported, but identifying and reporting human trafficking is everyone’s responsibility. We appreciate your reaching out to help a child or youth in need of intervention.

The following information would be helpful to the investigation, but it is not required that you have all this information before calling. Please don’t hesitate to call us if you believe a child is being or has been trafficked.

• Name(s) of all household and/or involved individuals, their dates of birth and/or their approximate age(s)
• Contact information such as phone number(s) and address(es) for any household members and/or involved individuals
• When and how the situation or circumstances of the suspected trafficking came to your attention
• Whether law enforcement has been contacted, and if so, whether there is a report number or assigned officer/agency
• Information concerning the adult(s) included in the report, such as their behavior, mental health or substance abuse, employment, criminal history, previous relationships, and any other information that might be relevant to the case, as well as other parents not residing in the household
• Information concerning the child(ren) or youth(s) included in the report, such as which school and/or daycare they attend, any developmental disabilities, any medical and/or mental health concerns, and their behavior
• Information about the general parenting practices of the child/youth’s parents or caretakers, including discipline practices, supervision, relationship with the child/youth, protectiveness toward the child/youth
• Any other relevant information regarding the family and/or the situation

If you don’t know all the information, the report will still be taken with the information available at the time you call. While your information about the situation may be limited, the hotline staff will explore several areas with you when collecting the information to ensure that all available pertinent information is received and documented. This allows hotline staff to make the best assessment regarding child safety and to ensure the most appropriate response by DCFS.

When DCFS receives a report of suspected child sex or labor trafficking, we pass the report on to the Louisiana State Police to investigate and/or distribute to the appropriate law enforcement agency (whatever agency has jurisdiction based on the location of the alleged trafficking).

If the report includes allegations that the child’s parent or caretaker was involved in the trafficking or committed other forms of abuse/neglect, DCFS will also investigate.

DCFS will make available care coordination services for all children who are suspected or confirmed victims of sex and labor trafficking. For confirmed victims of trafficking, DCFS will also make available advocacy services.