THE GAPS IN AMERICA’S
TRAFFICKING HOTLINE INFRASTRUCTURE
A State-by-State Analysis of Dedicated Human Trafficking Hotlines
Prepared by the Counter Trafficking Alliance (CTA)
April 2026
countertraffickingalliance.org
Executive Summary
Human trafficking remains one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in the United States. Survivors attempting to reach help face a fragmented landscape of crisis resources—most of which were designed for domestic violence or sexual assault and lack the specialized training, language access, and trauma-informed protocols that trafficking situations demand.
This analysis, conducted by the Counter Trafficking Alliance (CTA), examined hotline infrastructure across all 50 states using verified, publicly available resource data. The findings reveal a critical gap: 22 states—representing over 40% of the nation—have no dedicated human trafficking hotline.
Among these states are some of the nation’s most populous, including Texas (29.5 million residents), New York (19.7 million), and Pennsylvania (13 million). Nine of the 22 states lack a statewide crisis line of any kind—meaning survivors in rural areas may have no single number to call.
When a trafficking survivor dials for help, their zip code should not determine whether someone trained to help them answers the phone.
Why Dedicated Trafficking Hotlines Matter
Domestic violence and sexual assault hotlines provide essential services, but they are not interchangeable with trafficking-specific resources. Trafficking survivors face distinct barriers and risks that general crisis lines are often unequipped to address:
Complex legal situations. Trafficking victims may have pending criminal cases, or fear of prosecution for acts committed under coercion. Specialized hotline operators understand these intersections and can connect callers with trafficking-specific legal aid.
Language and cultural barriers. Trafficking disproportionately affects non-English-speaking populations. Dedicated hotlines are more likely to staff multilingual operators and maintain relationships with culturally competent service providers.
Safety planning differences. Unlike domestic violence situations where a survivor may be leaving a single abuser, trafficking victims often face organized networks. Safety planning requires coordination with law enforcement task forces and specialized victim advocates.
Labor trafficking awareness. DV/SA hotlines are trained primarily for interpersonal violence. Labor trafficking, which accounts for a significant share of trafficking cases, requires different screening questions, different referral networks, and different intervention strategies.
The Findings: 22 States Without a Trafficking Hotline
CTA reviewed hotline directories for all 50 states. The table below identifies the 22 states where no dedicated human trafficking hotline exists. For each state, we catalogued total crisis line resources, whether any statewide line exists, and the types of services those lines cover.
| State | Total Lines | Statewide Line? | Types Present | Trafficking Line? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 20 | DV & SA statewide | DV, SA, crisis | None |
| Arkansas | 34 | DV & SA coalitions | DV, SA | None |
| Delaware | 5 | SA only | DV, SA | None |
| Indiana | 18 | None | DV, crisis | None |
| Iowa | 16 | Victim services only | DV, SA, crisis | None |
| Kansas | 22 | DV only | DV, SA | None |
| Kentucky | 16 | None | DV | None |
| Maine | 11 | DV & SA coalitions | DV, SA | None |
| Maryland | 20 | LE tip line only | DV, SA | None |
| Nebraska | 15 | None | Shelter crisis lines | None |
| New Hampshire | 14 | DV/SA helpline | DV, SA | None |
| New Jersey | 21 | None | DV, SA | None |
| New York | 58 | DV/SA statewide | DV, SA | None |
| North Dakota | 20 | None | DV, SA | None |
| Oregon | 27 | DV & SA statewide | DV, SA, crisis | None |
| Pennsylvania | 44 | None | DV, SA | None |
| Rhode Island | 6 | DV/SA combined | DV, SA | None |
| Texas | 69 | None | DV, SA (all local) | None |
| Utah | 17 | DV only | DV, SA | None |
| West Virginia | 44 | DV only | DV | None |
| Wisconsin | 64 | None | DV, SA | None |
| Wyoming | 28 | None | DV, SA | None |
Total hotline resources across these 22 states: 589. Every single one is a DV, SA, or general crisis line. Not one is trafficking-specific.
Case Study: Texas
Texas illustrates the scope of this gap. As the second-most populous state in the nation with 29.5 million residents, a 1,254-mile international border, and major trafficking corridors running through Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, and El Paso, Texas is widely recognized as one of the highest-risk states for human trafficking.
Yet CTA’s analysis found no statewide hotline of any kind in Texas. Not for trafficking, not for domestic violence, not for sexual assault. The state’s 69 crisis lines are entirely local and regional, operated by individual shelters and advocacy organizations. A survivor in rural West Texas has no single statewide number to call.
For a state that processes thousands of trafficking cases annually, this represents a critical infrastructure failure.
States Without Any Statewide Crisis Line
Nine of the 22 states lack not only a trafficking hotline but any statewide crisis line at all: Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In these states, survivors must identify the correct local program for their county—a burden that is unrealistic for someone in crisis, particularly if they are in an unfamiliar area or have been transported across county lines by a trafficker.
What Works: States with Dedicated Trafficking Hotlines
Approximately 28 states have established some form of trafficking-specific hotline. Several stand out as models:
| State | Trafficking Hotline Resource |
|---|---|
| Colorado | Colorado Human Trafficking Hotline (LCHT) |
| Florida | Florida Human Trafficking Hotline (FDLE) + county-level HT lines |
| Illinois | Salvation Army STOP-IT (statewide) + Remedies RISE HT Hotline |
| Ohio | Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force Hotline |
| California | Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) |
Florida’s model is particularly noteworthy: the state operates a dedicated FDLE-administered trafficking hotline, a separate Attorney General’s office hotline through HOPE Florida, and has supported the creation of over 40 county-level trafficking-specific crisis lines. This layered approach ensures that no matter where a survivor is located, a trained trafficking advocate is reachable.
Recommendations
Based on this analysis, CTA recommends the following actions:
1. Establish dedicated state-level trafficking hotlines in all 22 identified states. These lines should be staffed by trained trafficking advocates with access to multilingual interpretation services, legal referral networks, and law enforcement task force coordination.
2. Prioritize the nine states lacking any statewide crisis line. Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming need immediate attention—survivors in these states have no centralized number to call for any form of crisis support.
3. Fund trafficking-specific training for existing DV/SA hotlines. While dedicated trafficking lines are the goal, in the interim, existing crisis lines in these 22 states should receive training on trafficking indicators, screening protocols, and referral pathways to ensure survivors who call are not turned away or misidentified.
4. Adopt the Florida layered model. States should consider a statewide trafficking hotline administered at the state level (through the Attorney General’s office, state police, or a designated agency) supplemented by regional or county-level trafficking-specific lines for localized response.
5. Centralize and publicize trafficking resources. Many states have trafficking task forces and service providers but no single, well-publicized number for survivors to call. Centralization reduces the cognitive burden on someone in crisis and increases the likelihood that they will reach help.
The Counter Trafficking Alliance maintains the largest, publicly searchable directory of anti-trafficking resources in the United States. This analysis is part of CTA’s ongoing mission to identify and close gaps in survivor access to help. The data presented here is based on CTA’s verified resource database as of April 2026.
Methodology Note: This analysis reviewed publicly available hotline data for all 50 states, catalogued in CTA’s verified resource database. A state was classified as “lacking a dedicated trafficking hotline” if no hotline in its directory included trafficking-specific services in its name, mission description, or designated service categories. Hotlines were categorized by type (DV, SA, crisis, trafficking) and geographic scope (local, regional, statewide). Data current as of April 2026.