Washington's human trafficking hotline disconnected, leaving victims without help: audit

Human trafficking victims seeking help in Washington may have called a disconnected telephone number that remained embedded in state law and awareness materials, according to a new performance audit that identified significant gaps in the state's efforts to combat trafficking.

The Washington State Auditor's Office found that some of the state's anti-trafficking laws and materials have become outdated, including a victim assistance telephone number that had been disconnected for two years.

Auditors warned the lapse could have had serious consequences for trafficking victims attempting to escape exploitation. "That gap created the possibility that exploited people – having seen a poster and summoned the courage to call for help – had their calls go literally unanswered," the Auditor's Office concluded.

The disconnected hotline was not the only problem identified.

The Department of Commerce developed a model human trafficking awareness poster in 2016 but has not produced an updated version in the decade since. Commerce staff also told auditors the agency has not provided information to medical, mental health and social work groups "in several years."

Auditors also found weaknesses in the state's approach to labor trafficking. Some Washington laws and programs focus specifically on sex trafficking, potentially leaving labor trafficking with less attention. Those include requirements involving screening children, training criminal justice personnel, educating students, and training teachers.

The audit examined human trafficking awareness responsibilities at five state agencies: the Department of Commerce, Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), Department of Labor & Industries, Washington State Department of Transportation, and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Auditors said many agencies did fulfill their legal obligations, and some went beyond what state law required.

WSDOT installed trafficking-awareness signage at rest areas across Washington and expanded its efforts with additional posters and training. The agency has placed more than 400 signs in rest areas and also displays digital messaging on ferries and in terminals.

DCYF updated its mandatory-reporting poster to include trafficking, conducts required screenings for children and offers training to people working in child welfare, juvenile rehabilitation and child care. Commerce conducted four trafficking-awareness training sessions for law enforcement and prosecutors in 2024 and 2025.

Labor & Industries includes trafficking information on posters and in training for adult entertainers, while staff told auditors employee training has helped identify possible trafficking cases. OSPI, meanwhile, has reviewed and posted curriculum resources intended to help school districts educate students about sex trafficking.

But auditors concluded Washington's broader system remains vulnerable to "gaps and overlaps" and found state law does not require trafficking training for some categories of workers recommended under leading practices. Washington also lacks mandatory signage requirements in some locations where other states and experts recommend posting trafficking information.

State Auditor Pat McCarthy said Washington needs to ensure that information intended to connect trafficking victims with help actually works. "As a state, we must ensure our laws and materials are current and effective," McCarthy said. "By better coordinating activities across the full range of involved public agencies, we can boost the chances that the ugly crime of human trafficking is exposed, and its survivors offered the help they need."

The Auditor's Office recommended that the Washington State Task Force Against the Trafficking of Persons review existing laws and recommend updates to the Legislature. It also directed Commerce's Office of Crime Victims Advocacy to update outdated awareness materials.