Juvenile Sex Trafficking

Louisiana law makes it illegal to "knowingly recruit, harbor, transport, provide, sell, purchase, receive, isolate, entice, obtain, or maintain the use of a person under the age of eighteen (18) years for the purpose of engaging in commercial sexual activity." The trafficking does NOT have to be accomplished through fraud, force, or coercion to be considered criminal activity. It is also not a defense to say the person didn't know the age of the victim or that the victim consented.

For more information about trafficking, visit the Governor's Office of Human Trafficking Prevention at https://humantrafficking.la.gov. 

Act 662 of the 2022 Legislative Session requires that all reports involving alleged sex trafficking of juveniles be reported 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.

Here are some points to consider:

• Has the child/youth run away 3 or more times from their family or foster care placement?
• Has there been unauthorized travel across parish or state lines?
• Does the child/youth have unaccounted for suspicious injuries or tattoos?
• Have there ever been confirmed or reported uses of hotels for parties or sexual encounters?
• Does the child/youth have a history of multiple and/or chronic sexually transmitted diseases?
• Has the child/youth used the internet for posting sexually explicit material?
• Does the child/youth refer to anyone as "Daddy" other than the person they consider their father?

For more information about trafficking, visit the Governor's Office of Human Trafficking Prevention at https://humantrafficking.la.gov. 

To report suspected juvenile sex 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 identify yourself 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 juvenile sex 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 juvenile'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 juvenile sex trafficking victims and suspected victims. For cases involving confirmed trafficking, DCFS also will make available advocacy services.