Human Trafficking Awareness

For health care, hospitality, transportation, retail, school and procurement staff: recognize trafficking, respond safely and report to the right place.

For: Health care, hospitality, transportation, retail and education staff, plus supply chain and procurement professionals

  • 2 contact hours
  • 8 modules
  • 10 interactives
  • 4 job aids
  • Updated October 7, 2026

What you will be able to do

  • Determine whether a situation fits the federal definition of sex or labor trafficking, including force, fraud and coercion and the rule for minors in commercial sex, and distinguish it from smuggling and labor violations.
  • Identify recruitment and control methods, higher-risk groups and indicators of trafficking in health care, hospitality, transportation, retail, school and other workplace settings.
  • Respond to a possible victim or a disclosure safely and in a trauma-informed way, without confronting, rescuing or investigating.
  • Select the correct reporting route (911, the National Human Trafficking Hotline, state child abuse or adult protective services, or workplace protocol) and document a concern factually while protecting confidentiality.
  • Recognize forced labor risk signals in supply chains and explain the basic import rules of Section 307 of the Tariff Act and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
  • Describe example state human trafficking training mandates and the elements of a workplace trafficking response policy.

Learn what human trafficking is under US federal law, how traffickers recruit and control people, and what sex and labor trafficking look like in clinics, hotels, buses, stores, schools and supplier contracts. You will practice spotting indicators in a triage note and a hotel shift log, handle a tense moment at a pharmacy counter, and use a decision tree to pick the right reporting route.

The course is built for frontline staff and managers who may be the only outsiders a victim sees: nurses, aides, front desk and housekeeping staff, drivers, cashiers, teachers and counselors, and the purchasing teams who choose suppliers. No prior training is needed.

Trafficking rarely looks like a movie kidnapping. It hides behind debts, held passports and threats. This course teaches you to notice clusters of signs without profiling, to respond in a safe, trauma-informed way without confronting or investigating, to document facts, and to know when the law makes reporting your personal duty. It ends with state training rules and four ready-to-use job aids.

What you’ll be able to do Monday morning

  1. Save the National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888, text 233733) and your state child abuse hotline in your work phone.
  2. Find your workplace's designated trafficking contact for each shift and write the name on a reporting card.
  3. Use a routine 'private time' or professional-interpreter practice so no one is singled out.
  4. Write any concern as facts, quotes and times, and record whom you told.
  5. Check with your board or HR whether your state or profession requires trafficking training or a posted Hotline sign.
  6. Ask purchasing whether supplier contracts ban forced labor, worker-paid recruitment fees and document retention.

Curriculum

8 modules · 31 lessons · about 2 contact hours

01What is human trafficking under US law?Free preview13 min
  1. Which federal law defines human trafficking?
  2. What do force, fraud and coercion actually mean?
  3. Why are minors treated differently?
  4. How is trafficking different from smuggling or bad working conditions?
  • Matching activity: Match the TVPA terms

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

02How do traffickers recruit and control people?12 min
  1. How do traffickers find and recruit people?
  2. How do traffickers keep control?
  3. Who is most vulnerable to trafficking?
  • Sort activity: Force, fraud or coercion?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

03What can trafficking look like in a health care setting?12 min
  1. Why are health care workers so important?
  2. Which indicators should health care staff notice?
  3. How do you observe without investigating?
  4. What about home health, pharmacy and dental settings?
  • Spot the issue: Spot the indicators: urgent care triage note

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

04What are the signs in hotels, transportation, retail, schools and other workplaces?12 min
  1. What should hotel and hospitality staff watch for?
  2. What about transportation and travel hubs?
  3. What about retail stores, restaurants and other businesses?
  4. What should school staff watch for?
  • Spot the issue: Spot the indicators: overnight front desk log

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

05How do you respond safely and in a trauma-informed way?13 min
  1. What are the golden rules of a safe response?
  2. What does trauma-informed mean in practice?
  3. How should you handle a disclosure?
  4. What should you never do?
  • Branching scenario: Thirty seconds at the pharmacy counter
  • Ethics dilemma: An adult says no

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

06Where do you report, and what should you write down?13 min
  1. Which reporting routes exist, and when do you use each?
  2. What changes when the person is a minor?
  3. What about adults?
  4. What should you document, and how do you protect confidentiality?
  • Decision tree: Which reporting route?
  • State rules selector: Your state's child abuse hotline and who must report

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

07How do supply chains, state laws and workplace policies fit in?13 min
  1. How can forced labor enter a supply chain?
  2. What do US import laws require?
  3. Which states require human trafficking training?
  4. What should a workplace policy include?
  • State rules selector: Human trafficking training rules: four example states

Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check

08What happens after a report, and how do you put it all together?11 min
  1. What happens after you report?
  2. What help is available to survivors?
  3. How do you look after yourself?
  4. How does it all fit together?
  • Self-assessment: How ready are you to respond?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

Final assessment: 25 questions, 80% to pass, then your certificate

Try it now, no account needed

Thirty seconds at the pharmacy counter

A branching scenario from this course. Your choices are not saved.

Free sample activity

Thirty seconds at the pharmacy counter

You are Mei Lin, the pharmacist. A young woman quietly asks if there is 'a number for someone who can't go home.' Her companion is ten feet away, watching. Choose what to do.

Inside the course

Practice activities

  • Matching activity1
  • Sort activity1
  • Spot the issue2
  • Branching scenario1
  • Ethics dilemma1
  • Decision tree1
  • State rules selector2
  • Self-assessment1

Job aids you keep

  • Trafficking Concern Documentation TemplateTemplate
  • Human Trafficking Reporting Numbers SheetReference sheet
  • Human Trafficking Response and Reporting ChecklistChecklist
  • Workplace Trafficking Policy Review ChecklistChecklist

Credit and approval status

Certificate of completion

This course awards a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. It is not currently approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or continuing education accreditor. It is not an approved course for any state human trafficking training mandate, including Florida's requirement under s. 456.0341, Florida Statutes, Texas's requirement for a course approved by the Health and Human Services Commission, or Michigan's training rule. If your license, employer or state requires human trafficking training, check with your board, employer or state agency before you enroll whether this course is accepted.

Pathways we may pursue for future editions include nursing continuing education through an approver accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), social work continuing education through the Association of Social Work Boards ACE program, and state editions submitted for approval where a state mandate allows outside providers (for example, Texas HHSC course approval or Florida board approval). None of these approvals exists today; the course page will show an approval only after it is granted.

Our full approvals list

State notes

Human trafficking is a federal crime and a crime in every state, but training duties, reporting routes and posting rules are set largely by state law and professional boards. Before relying on this course, check these points for the state where you work:

  • Training mandates for licensed professionals. Florida requires a 1-hour human trafficking course, approved by the practitioner's board (or the Department of Health), for health care practitioners covered by s. 456.0341, F.S.; existing licensees had until January 1, 2021, and new licensees complete it in their first renewal period. Texas requires health care practitioners who provide direct patient care, other than physicians and nurses, to complete a course approved by the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission as a condition of renewal (Occupations Code ch. 116). Michigan requires one-time training, separate from continuing education, for licensed and registered health professionals (MCL 333.16148 and board rules), with deadlines that vary by profession.
  • Industry mandates. California requires hotel and motel employers to provide at least 20 minutes of interactive trafficking awareness training to employees likely to interact with victims, every two years (Gov. Code §12950.3).
  • Postings. Florida's s. 456.0341 includes a sign requirement (at least 11 x 15 inches, 32-point type, English and Spanish) for covered settings. Many other states require Hotline postings in specific businesses; check your state labor or attorney general website.
  • Reporting for minors. Suspected trafficking of a child is reported under state child abuse laws. Who must report, the reporting standard and deadlines differ: Texas and Florida require any person to report, and Texas professionals must report within 48 hours and may not delegate the report.
  • Adults. Adult protective services laws may require reports about older or vulnerable adults. For other adults, most frontline workers have no general duty to report to police, but employer policies and some professional rules add duties.

Other states have their own rules, and requirements change often. Confirm with your licensing board, state agency or employer.

Questions about this course

Does this course meet my state's human trafficking training requirement?

Not automatically. This national course earns a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours and is not approved under any state mandate. Florida requires a course approved by your board, Texas requires a course approved by the Health and Human Services Commission, and Michigan sets its own content and provider rules. Check with your licensing board or employer before you enroll to meet a specific requirement.

Who is this course for?

Anyone who may meet a trafficking victim at work: nurses, aides, front desk and pharmacy staff, hotel reception and housekeeping, drivers and transit staff, retail workers, teachers and school counselors, and the purchasing and supply chain staff who choose suppliers. It is foundational, so no prior training is needed.

Will this course teach me to investigate trafficking?

No. Frontline staff should never investigate, confront or try to rescue anyone. The course teaches you to recognize clusters of indicators, respond safely in a trauma-informed way, report to the right place and document facts. Investigation belongs to law enforcement and trained victim service providers.

How long does it take, and what do I receive?

Plan on about 2 hours, including eight short modules, interactive scenarios and a 25-question final assessment with an 80 percent pass mark. You can retake the assessment with new questions. When you pass, you receive a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours and four downloadable job aids.

Does the course cover labor trafficking and supply chains, or only sex trafficking?

Both. You will learn how forced labor shows up in restaurants, homes, farms, warehouses and hotels, and how procurement teams can spot forced labor risk in suppliers, including the basics of Section 307 of the Tariff Act and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

What if I suspect a minor is being trafficked?

Call 911 if the child is in immediate danger. Otherwise, suspected trafficking of a minor is reported under your state's child abuse law, often within a short deadline and sometimes as your personal duty. The course includes a state lookup and a reporting numbers sheet to help you find the right hotline.

This course is general education and training awareness from CE Courses Hub on human trafficking. It is not legal, medical or professional advice and does not replace your employer's policies, your licensing board's rules, or advice from a qualified professional. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for the stated contact hours; it is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or accreditor unless an approval is shown on the course page. Check with your board, employer or state agency whether this course meets your specific requirement.