1. Trust your judgment and intuition/instincts
   • If someone promises you something (e.g. easy/quick money for little effort) that seems too good to be true, the situation may likely be different than described.
   • If someone makes you feel uncomfortable with their words or actions, trust how you feel and what your instincts tell you.
   • If an environment, location, or situation makes you nervous, try to remove yourself from the situation if you can.
   • If your romantic partner asks you to do things you do not like, are worried about, or are uncomfortable with (i.e. photographing or videotaping sexual activity or nudity, forceful sex acts, engaging in commercial sex or sex acts with his/her friends or strangers, abusing drugs or alcohol, etc.), tell that person that you do not like it. Also, tell a trusted person of your concerns in case things become worse.
2. Allow a trusted friend, relative, or other person to help keep you safe
   • Stay in touch with this trusted person and let them know when you have concerns about your situation.
   • Set up safety words with this trusted person that you can use to let them know it is safe to talk, or you are not safe and need assistance. Create actions that you would like them to do if you use a certain safety word (e.g. call 911 for you, meet you somewhere to pick you up, end the call because you are not safe to talk, etc.).
   • Keep this trusted person’s contact information with you at all times.
   • Inform your trusted person if you will be travelling or moving to another location.
3. Keep possession of all your important documents and identification
   • Nobody has the right to take or hold your personal documents (e.g. driver’s licence, passport, credit card, bank card, birth certificate, etc.)
   • Make photocopies of your important documents and identification and keep them in a safe place that you can access if your documents are taken from you. If you are comfortable with it, consider giving these copies to your trusted person. You can also scan your important documents and ID and send the picture file to a safe email address that you have access to.
   • Keep a list of any medications you are taking with your important documents.
4. Try to keep control and possession of some way to communicate and to access your money
   • Keep possession of a cellphone if possible. If keeping your phone is difficult, have a second cheap phone for emergencies – store it somewhere safe for your access only.
   • Have a prepaid calling card that you can use as a back-up plan.
   • Try to maintain access to your bank account or another safe way of obtaining money, especially for emergency use.
5. Be aware and careful when using technology such as smartphones and computers
   • Create a separate email account (using a neutral, non-identifying email address) to use with a trusted person if you are concerned your usual email account is being monitored.
   • Use public computers (e.g. at libraries and community centres) if your computer/smartphone searches and activity are being monitored.
   • Learn to disable and/or delete computer and smartphone functions which can be used to monitor your activity such as browser history, search engine history, chat logs, and histories on social media.
   • Be careful with what you post on social media sites. Too much personal information can be used by traffickers. Posting information about friends, families, your schedule or location, your daily activities and so forth can make you vulnerable to manipulation and threats. Learn to disable the GPS and location functions when posting to social media accounts, including location tags on photos.
   • Change your passwords/PINs to email accounts, phone apps, bank accounts, and other important tools frequently. Do not allow a computer to remember your password.
   • Empty your email account’s Sent and Trash folders regularly. Choose the setting that automatically deletes their contents after each session ends.
6. Contact responsible organizations for assistance or information
   • Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
   • Contact the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010 for referrals to social services and supports (such as shelters, medical assistance, legal advice, emergency transportation, etc.) and to law enforcement if you wish. The hotline can also help with general information on trafficking issues and situations, as well as help with safety planning.
   • Access the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline’s online Referral Directory to connect directly with social services and supports (such as shelters, medical assistance, legal advice, emergency transportation, etc.).
   • Victim Services can also be accessed by calling 211.

Below are some options for you to consider. Planning and testing out these options ahead of time can help keep you safe. This list is not exhaustive.

Safe Internet Searching

Use Public Computers

Public Computers at local public libraries or community centers are more difficult to trace. Consider using these to access help whenever possible.

Delete Search History

Search engines track your online searches and this information can be accessed by others using the same computer. If you are concerned that your trafficker will see what you have been searching for online, is important to clear your search history after each session. Here are instructions at Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

Delete Browser History

Your browser saves a list of all the websites you have visited while on the internet, and should be cleared after every session, especially if you’ve visited sites you wish to keep private from your trafficker. Learn how to delete your search history on Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Toolbar.

If the “Use Inline AutoComplete” box in your Internet settings is checked, partial web addresses will be completed while typing in the Address bar and could reveal where you have been browsing. To make sure AutoComplete is not enabled, pull down the Tools menu, choose Internet Options, then click the Advanced tab. There is a box that can be checked or unchecked called “Use Inline AutoComplete.” Uncheck the box if it is checked.

Disable Chat Logs

If you are using a chat feature, check to see if your program has a Disable/Enable log setting that you can disable while you are chatting. Once you are done chatting, you can restore the settings.

Social Media

Privacy Settings

When posting on social networking sites, double check privacy settings and remove any geographical check-in points such as Four Square, or automatic GPS tags on photographs or photograph-based websites. Privacy & Safety on Facebook: A Guide for Survivors is an in depth guide on how to best manage your privacy on Facebook. Learn more about safety and privacy on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Discretion

When posting on social networking sites, be cautious not to provide unnecessary information regarding your daily activities or close friends and family.

Block Trafficker/Trafficker’s Acquaintances

Consider blocking your trafficker, and ”Unfriending”/”Unfollowing” all of your trafficker’s friends or mutual friends you cannot trust. Blocking a user from a social network site, provides extra levels of privacy and security. Always consider that anything shared on a social networking site can eventually find its way to your trafficker and/or someone that might pass on this information, even innocently.

New Email Account

Create a new email account from one of the free email providers such as Yahoo!, Hotmail, Gmail or Hushmail.

New Username

Choose a gender-neutral, non-specific username that is not similar to one you have used before, not yourname@. Don’t reference favorite hobbies or birthdates in your username, or anything that might alert your trafficker to your identity.

Online Address Book

If you use the address book associated with your email program, do not enter sensitive information into the address book. If your email program automatically enters email addresses into the address book of people you’ve replied to, you may be able to disable that feature. You may also be able to disable the automatic name completion feature, which fills in an email address after the first few letters are typed.

Sent/Deleted Emails

You can prevent items from being saved in your Sent folder by disabling that feature in your email. You can either set your deleted items folder to be cleared daily, or simply empty it at the end of each email session.

Blocking/Filtering Emails

You can block incoming emails through your email program. You can select to block specific email addresses, or addresses ending in the same address (e.g. [email protected] or any email that ends in address.com.) You can also choose to have designated senders’ emails sent to a specific folder. This will allow you the ability to read the emails at a time that is convenient for you, and also allows you to have a copy of the email should there be threats, etc.

Online Safety for Youth

Below are resources to assist in teaching youth how to stay safe online:

• NetSmartz: NetSmartz is an interactive, educational program of NCMEC that provides age-appropriate resources to help teach children how to be safer on- and offline. The program is designed for children ages 5-17, parents and guardians, educators, and law enforcement. With resources such as videos, games, activity cards, and presentations, NetSmartz entertains while it educates. Its goals are to educate children on how to recognize potential Internet risks, engage children and adults in a two-way conversation about on- and offline risks, and empower children to help prevent themselves from being exploited and to report victimization to a trusted adult.
• Savvy Cyber Kids: Savvy Cyber Kids offers free guides for parents, grandparents, and teachers about current technology, how to educate children about the risks of being online, and how to discuss sex in the contact of the digital age. Resources for educators focus on frameworks for lesson plans about technology, appropriate for different age groups. Please note that users have to create a free account to access resources.

Additional Security Measures

Password Safety

Change passwords and PINs frequently, and never give your passwords/PINs to anyone. Choose passwords that are difficult to guess and include letters and numbers. If you need to write it down, write down a hint rather than the actual password. Do not allow the computer to remember passwords for you.

Search Yourself

Do a search on Google, Bing, and Yahoo for your full name and city or state to screen all publicly available information that someone can find about you on the Internet. Also, be cautious about having photos of you or your children displayed online.

Online Harassment

Personal Harassment (Authorities)

If you are being harassed online, there are several steps you can take to end the harassment. The first thing to do is save copies of everything. If you have a protection order that stipulates no contact, email/contact in a chat room is a violation, and you can report that to the local authorities.

Personal Harassment (Internet Service Providers)

You can also contact the internet service provider (ISP) and email the service of the person that is harassing you. For example, if you are receiving harassing emails from a hotmail account (address ending in @hotmail.com), you can contact hotmail through their website to report the harassment. If a website has been created about you, you can contact the host of the site. This can usually be done by selecting the Contact Us option on the website.

Some relationships with signs of abuse and control, as well as those with promises of a better life, may have the potential to develop into situations of human trafficking.  

• If your partner asks you to do things you are uncomfortable with (forceful sex or sex acts, videotaping sexual activity/nudity, engaging in commercial sex or sex acts with his/her friends/strangers, abusing drugs/alcohol, etc.), let your partner know that it makes you uncomfortable and inform a trusted friend or relative.  
• Make sure a trusted friend/relative knows where you are when with your partner, especially if you are traveling with this person or going to an unfamiliar location.  
• Maintain access to all of your documents (driver’s license, ID card, birth certificate, passport, or visa), your bank account, and all important phone numbers and do not provide this information to your partner if you do not feel comfortable.

In addition to the points above, the following points can be considered to help ensure your safety when trying to leave a trafficking situation:

1. Try to determine your location if you do not know it – this is important if you make a call for assistance and need to move farther away from the area. Clues to your location include street signs, mailing envelopes, building addresses, and signs in building lobbies. If it is safe to go outside, ask someone on the street or in a store for the location.
2. Keep your documents on or near you.
3. Memorize a few important phone numbers of people or organizations that can help you in case your phone is taken from you.
4. If it is possible to carry a bag, pack a small amount of important items such as a change of clothes, medications, prepaid calling card, important phone numbers, etc.
5. Plan an escape route and rehearse how you will make your way. Try to find and remember potential places to ask for help – pharmacies, hospitals, doctors’ offices, stores, restaurants, banks, etc.
6. Contact a trusted person to let them know of your intention to leave. Ask for help if you feel safe to do so.
7. Determine if a taxi or public transit is a safe option, and try to find out where you can be picked up without putting yourself in danger.
8. Contact the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010 for assistance including urgent transportation, shelter, and other social services.
9. If you find yourself in immediate danger, call 911 and clearly tell them what actions you need taken to become safe.

• Keep your residence locked at all times. Consider changing your locks if the controller has a key or may be able to access your residence.
• If moving to a new residence, only disclose your address to people that you trust.
• Consider taking out a protective order against the controller so that he/she will be legally prohibited from contacting you. While options vary by location, you can typically obtain a protective order civilly without talking to or involving law enforcement.
• Contact the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010 to find the service provider nearest you that can assist you in long-term safety planning.
• If the controller has made unwanted contact, document the contact made (calls, texts, showing up at your work/home, etc.) and save any voicemails and text messages that are threatening in nature.
• Consider changing your phone number to a number unknown by the controller. Most cell phone carriers will allow you to block individuals or to change numbers at no or low cost.
• Keep a cell phone or emergency phone on you at all times.  If you feel comfortable, tell your neighbors, employer, or friends to call the police if they see the controller near, in, or around the residence or you.
• Develop a special signal (lights flickering on and off, code word, code text message, hand signal, etc.) to use with a trusted neighbor, relative, friend or service provider to notify them that you are in danger or need help. This can be the same safety signal used while exiting the situation or something new. Be sure to communicate what action steps you would like taken if you use the signal (call 9-1-1, check-in, pick up your children, etc.).
• If you have children who were also in the trafficking situation, create a safety plan with them making sure they know what do if the controller makes unwanted contact and how to call someone for help.
• If your child still has ongoing contact with the controller, discuss a safety plan and how to keep themselves safe while with the controller.